
Centennial Exhibition, 1876. 



Presented by 




AUSTRALIA. 





TTe e n s l /uT^- 

AUSTRALIA; *» Q 



ISLAND 



GARDEN MANUAL 



CONTAINING CONCISE DIRECTIONS 



FOR THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



GARDEN, ORCHARD, AND FARM 

IN QUEENSLAND. 

TO WHICH ARE ADDED SERICULTURE (SILKWORM), AND THE 
CULTIVATION OF SUGAR, COFFEE, TEA, AND NUMEROUS 
OTHER TROPICAL PLANTS AND FRUIT TREES 
ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE CLIMATE AND SOIL 
OF THE COLONY. 



ALBERT JOHN HOCKINGS, 

AUTHOR OF THE " FLOWER GARDEN IN QUEENSLAND/' ETC. 

SECOND THOUSAND. 

ENLARGED, REVISED, AND CORRECTED. 

LOCT-St IM ) 

BRISBANE ; 

PRINTED BY A. CLEGHORN, EDWARD AND ADELAIDE STREETS. 

MDCCCLXXV. 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, 



On presenting this little work to the public, the Author feels that some 
apology is due for venturing to occupy, as a mere amateur, a position of 
authority on Gardening matters which could have been so much more fitly 
assumed by a person trained to the profession. Many reasons have com- 
bined to induce this step, among the most urgent of which is the total 
absence of any directions as to the cultivation and treatment of plants 
suited to this Colony and climate, for the guidance of the numerous class 
of fanners continually arriving, and anxious to adapt themselves to their 
new home. It is not presumed that this want has been fully supplied in 
this instance ; but it is believed that a large amount of information is here 
given, of the most trustworthy character, embracing many subjects not 
generally treated of in books ; and attention is directed to many plants 
of commercial value, which, if grown here for purposes of export, would 
tend greatly to the material wealth and prosperity of the Colony, 

Seventeen years' devotion to this pursuit in Brisbane has given the 
writer many opportunities for observation ; and, on all subjects beyond his 
personal experience, the best local as well as standard authorities have 
been freely consulted, to ensure accuracy. In numerous instances, how- 
ever, where plants have been but recently imported, the information is 
necessarily meagre ; in other cases omissions may occur, which it will be 
his study to rectify in future editions, should his present effort meet with 
the approbation of the public. 

Brisbane, 1865. 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

The general favor with which the first edtion of this work was received 
on its publication, upwards of ten years ago, the sustained interest 
which it commanded until the whole number had been exhausted, and 
the constant demands which have since been made for a second edition, 
have stimulated the Author to use every exertion to render the present 
volume worthy of public confidence. 

The whole work has been most carefully revised ; much valuable 
information, in a condensed but intelligible form, has been added in 
various parts ; the results of enlarged experience in numerous industrial 
enterprises have been summarised and noted ; new fruits are described ; 
improved methods of cultivation, and important practical hints are 
interspersed under the appropriate heads ; and in every way it has been 
sought to maintain the character of the "Manual"' for being clear, 
comprehensive, and trustworthy, without increasing its cost. 

Brisbane, September, 1875, 






PAGE. 




PAGE. 


Ailanthus tree 


.. 181 


Oarrot 


'-Ifi 


Ailanthus silkworm 


.. 182 


V^dlllllllg II U.1LS . . 


1 7^ 


Akee tree 


.. 61 


V^dStUI Ull pidilt ... 


lOI 


A lligator or Avocado pear 6 1 


Cassava 


1 


Almond 


.. 61 


Cauliflower 


Ql 
61 


American blight, to cure 52 


Celery 




>' ft 


.. 69 


Celeriac or turnip - 


I 34 


Anchovy pear 


.. 63 


rooted celery 


Ants, destruction of 


.. 51 


Cherry 


7C 
io 


Aphides, destruction of 


.. 51 


Chicory 


. 155 


Apple 


63 


omii 


9Q 


Apple, acclimatized by seed 66 


V^IllIlcbtJ gldoo ClULJl 


. 169 


Apple, transplanting the 67 


\^±ltJt>LIlU.l> ... ... ... 


7Q 


Apricot 


.. 70 


Chenmoya 


.. 83 


Arrowroot 


. 146 


Chinese yam ... 


1 A K 


Artichoke, Jerusalem 


23 


Cinnamon 


1 Art 

. . 10U 


Artichoke, Globe 


.. 23 


Citron 


Qrt 


Artificial grasses . . . 


.. 162 


Cocoa-nut 




Asparagus 


. 24 


conee 

Corn or maize 


101 

. idb 


Banana 


.. 72 


Compost for fruit trees 


I 121 


Bananas, to dry 


... 175 


m pots 


Banana fibre 


... 171 


Compost for top-dres- 


I 121 
) 


Barberry 


.. 74 


sing fruit trees in pots 


Beans 


. 25 


l!/vm"r»a ro^nro nrAiiorfifit! 
^ULLLUdl dlil V c UI U Ucl LltJo 


1 12 


Beet 


.. 27 


of soil 


Bengal quince, Betel Tree 74 


Cotton 


.. 149 


Bottling and canning fruits 175 


Cotton fibre 


172 


Brazil nut 


77 


Cranberry 


82 


Brazilian cherry 


.. 77 


Cress 


.. 34 


Bread-fruit 


77 


Cucumber 


.. 35 


Brocoli 


... 27 


Cucumbers, to grow 


} - 


Brussels sprouts 


... 27 


them straight ... 




Currant 


.. 82 


Cabbage 

Calendar, the 


.. 28 


Custard apple 


.. 83 


... 186 






Capsicum 


... 29 


Date 


84 


Caper . . ; 


... 160 


Date plum 


.. 85 


Cape gooseberry 


... 78 


Deep tillage 


5 


Cardoon 


.. 29 


Destruction of vermin 


51 



VI. 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Destruction of ants ... 51 
Destruction of aphides, &c. 51 
Destruction of earwigs ... 52 
Destruction of mice ... 52 
Destruction of slugs . 53 



Destruction of worms in \ k» 

paths J 06 

Dioscorea batates, Chi- \ 

nese yarn J 

Draining and subsoiling ... 2 
Draining — does my soil j 

require ? ) 

Drain-pipes (table) 5 

Drying fruits ... 173 

Durion ... ... 85 

Dwarfing fruit trees .. 122 

Earth-nuts 36 

Earwigs, destruction of ... 52 

Egg plants 37 

Endive 36 

Eschallots 47 

Farm, the 136 

Fibre plants 169 

Fig 85 

Figs, to dry 173 

Filbert 87 

Flacourtia 88 

Fruit trees in pots . . . 119 

Garden Calendar .. ... 186 

Garlic 37 

Ginger 154 

Gishurst compound ... 51 

Gooseberry ... 89 

Gooseberry, Cape 78 

Grape vine 90 

Grapes, to dry 174 

Granadilla ... 89 

Grass cloth or Ramie . . 169 

Grasses, artificial 162 

Guava 98 

Gumbo . . 42 

Hallet's wheat 138 

Herbert Vale cherry .. 98 

Herbs 38 



PAGE. 



Hockings' new peaches.. 


58 


117 


Hops, cultivation of .. 


156 


Hop fibre 


172 


Horse-radish 


39 


Ho venia dulcis 


99 


Hoven cattle 


169 


Indian corn 


136 


Indigo 


156 


Irrigation 


14 


Irrigation with liquid 1 


17 


lUctilUItJ j 


Jack fruit 


99 


J erusalem artichoke 


23 


Jube-jube 


99 


Kitchen Garden 


21 


Leechee... 


l aa 


Leek ... 


on 
o» 


Lettuce 


39 


Lemon 


1U(J 


Lime (West Indian) 


1 AA 
1UU 


Lime and Salt, value of... 


11 


Liquorice 


159 


Liquid manure 


17 


Longan 


100 


Loquat 


101 


Lucerne ... 


165 



Maize 136 

Mangosteen 103 

Mango 102 

Manila hemp 171 

Manures, value of 9 

Manures, quantities ... 11 

Manures, to distribute . . 8 

Mammee apple 102 

Martynia 40 

Matingola plum 104 

Medlar 105 

Melon 40 

Mice, destruction of ... 52 

Millet (sorghum) 167 

Mulberry 105 

Mushroom 40 

Mustard 42 



INDEX. 



VII. 



PAGE. 

Natural grasses 168 

Nectarine 106 

New Zealand flax 172 

New fruits 132 

Number of plants (acre) 58 
Oidium, or vine disease, ) 
to cure ... ... ) 

Okra ... 42 

Olive 107 

Onion 45 

Orchard, the 55 

Orchard house culture ... 120 
Orange ... 108 

Papaw apple 114 

Parsley 44 

Parsnip 44 

Passion fruit 115 

Peach 115 

select list 117 

Pea 44 

Pear 121 

Pear, alligator or avocado 61 

Pear, anchovy 63 

Pine-apple 123 

Pine-apple fibre 172 

Pine -apple wine 124 

Plants required per acre. . 58 

Planting trees ( see Apple) 67 

Plum 125 

Pomegranate 125 

Potato 141 

Preliminary Observations 1 

Properties of soil, com- ) , 9 

parative \ 

Pumplenose or shaddock 128 

Pumpkin 45 

Quince 126 

Radish ... ... 46 

Ramie or grass cloth ... 169 

Raspberry 127 

Rhubarb 46 

Rose apple .. 128 

Rosella 45 

Rotation of crops 19 



PAGE. 

Salsafy 47 

Salt and Lime, value of ... 11 

Savoy 47 

Scorzonera 47 

Sea-kale 47 

Seeds, quantity per acre 50 

Seedling apple trees ... 66 

Selection of seed (Hal- ) Qft 

let's wheat) ... \ ltjS 

Sericulture (silkworm) ... 175 

Silkworm (ailanthus) ... 182 

Shaddock 128 

Slugs, destruction of ... 53 
Soil,comparative properties 12 

Sorghum saccharatum ... 167 

Spinach 48 

Squash 45 

Strawberry 129 

Sugar-cane 157 

Sweet potatoes 143 

Tamarind 131 

Tea 153 

Tobacco 147 

Tomato 48 

Tomato, its medicinal ) ^ 

qualities ) 

Transplanting 57 

Trenching . 7 

Turnip 49 

Tuscarora corn or white ) , « 7 

maize ) 

Vegetable marrow 49 

Vermin, destruction of ... 51 

Vine, the 90 

Vineyards, trench & drain 94 

Walnut 131 

Wampee 132 

Water-cress 192 

Wet soil, to distinguish.. 73 

Wheat ... 138 

Wine palm 133 

White maize for flour . 137 

Worms, to destroy ... 53 

Yam 144 



The Garden. 



FIRST PRINCIPLES OF CULTIVATION. 

cOOOCOOo 

$reUmmarg ©bscrfratums. 

HE proper growth of our cultivated crops 
depends upon certain conditions of the air, 
the soil, and water ; and that the labor of the 
husbandman may be crowned with success he should 
thoroughly understand those conditions, and endeavor 
to secure such of them for his crops as he can com- 
mand. The degree of light and heat, the state of the 
atmosphere, and the supply of rain being beyond his 
control, his attention may be directed to working the 
soil in a manner calculated to produce the best 
results in all weathers ; to the cultivation of the 
crops best adapted to the climate, or meeting the 
most ready sale ; the best means by which to keep 
the land from becoming exhausted by continual 
cropping, and the possibility of obtaining a supply of 
water for irrigation in times of drought. 

All systems of gardening should be acted upon 
with some discrimination ; that is to say, while pro- 
per attention be paid to the general directions and 
rules laid down, allowance must be made for the 
difference and variety of soils, of situation, and of 
climate, which require a strict attention to the mode 
of management peculiarly adapted to each ; and it is 
the almost proverbial inattention to those important 
points which is the chief cause of that want of success 
which proves often so discouraging to the inexperienced 
cultivator. 

B 




2 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



To work the soil in a manner calculated to 
produce the best results in all weathers, the first 
principles of gardening must be understood and con- 
sistently applied. It is generally known that plants 
derive the greater part of their nourishment from the 
soil ; and that, to enable the tender roots to extend 
in search of food, the earth has to be pulverised. It 
is known by sad experience that the crops, in flat 
lands especially, are lost season after season by water 
in the soil during rainy weather. Crops are fre- 
quently lost from shallow tillage during drought • and 
land gets " worked out" from continual cropping 
without manure. These results are admitted, but we 
fear the causes are not sufficiently studied, and we are 
satisfied that due precautions are not adopted to prevent 
the recurrence of such disasters. 

Nature is very bountiful, but the husbandman 
will ordinarily only obtain his reward on conforming 
to certain conditions. To ensure the best prospect 
of success (pre-supposing the soil to be of average 
fertility), the grower should drain, subsoil or trench, 
manure, irrigate, and adopt a rotation of crops. 
These we have placed consecutively according to 
their importance ; and, as the space at command is 
necessarily limited, such short articles will follow on 
the various subjects as it is hoped will be sufficiently 
explicit to be intelligible to the novice, while confined 
within the narrow limits imposed by the moderate pre- 
tensions of this little hand-book. 



DRAINING AND SUBSOILING. 



Several thousands sterling per annum are lost by 
the farmers around Brisbane through drought and 
excessive rain, the greater part of which they might 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



3 



save by using the subsoil plough, and draining their 
land. Many are aware of this fact, but are deterred 
from giving their knowledge any practical effect 
because of the expense. This idea of expense is 
greatly exaggerated, and what is considered economy, 
is, in reality, the most wasteful extravagance in time 
and money. Let any farmer calculate the cost of 
cultivating the land on which year after year he loses 
his crops, either through drought or too much wet, 
and he will find that, without counting the value of 
the crops he has lost, he will have paid for merely 
working the land (from which he has had no return) 
sufficient money to have subsoiled and drained it. He 
therefore cannot plead that he " can't afford it," for he 
has been expending a similar amount of labor and 
money, only to reap disappointment. 

The limited space at our command will not suf- 
fice to do justice to either of the subjects treated of, 
and the object aimed at, therefore, is not so much to 
convince the reader, as to arrest his attention, that he 
may seek more information and then bring his know- 
ledge into practice. 

Some cultivators think that it is not only super- 
fluous, but improper to drain land here, because it is 
a hot, dry climate, and we are subject to long 
droughts. But it has been proved by long experi- 
ence that drained land retains its moisture longer 
than swampy land ; for the latter shrinks and 
hardens as the wet dries off, gets parched and cracks ; 
while the former — being light and friable — admits the 
damp vapour to rise through it almost as fast as it 
dries from the surface. For similar reasons wet land 
is unfit for vegetation either in wet or dry weather ; 
for during rain the roots are standing in water and 
are smothered, so that the plant either turns yellow 
or perishes ; and in drought it strives in vain to push 
its roots through the parched, unhealthy mass in search 
of moisture it was not able to retain. 



4 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MAN UAL. 



Drain the land, and have it thoroughly pulverised, 
and it will then lay light, so that excessive rain falling 
on it will percolate through and run off by the drains \ 
an ample store being retained by absorption for the 
supply of plants during drought. By thus draining 
we deepen the soil, and allow the roots to travel 
further in search of nourishment ; we admit an in- 
creased supply of atmospheric fertilizers, which 
hasten the decay of vegetable and other organic 
matter, and accelerate the disintegration of the mineral 
parts of the soil. It improves the mechanical texture 
of the soil, and warms it, by which the effects of frost 
are much modified, and the crops come on earlier in 
spring. It allows us to work sooner after rain, pre- 
vents the formation of acetic and other acids, and 
it admits large quantities of rain to pass into the soil 
which is always more or less imbued with the fertilizing 
gases of the atmosphere, to be deposited among the 
absorbent parts of the soil, and then given up to the 
necessities of the plants. 

In Barbadoes, drain pipes are put down at in- 
tervals of sixteen to twenty-four feet, at a depth of 
two feet six inches to four feet (the latter being pre- 
ferable), and one -inch pipes are found sufficient to 
carry the water into the main drains. The drain 
pipes must have a fall throughout to allow the water 
to run off It would be useless to put them at an 
equal distance from the surface in uneven ground, as 
that would prevent the flow of the water ; but there 
must be a decline from one end of the drain to the 
other, and it must be at least sufficiently below the 
surface, in the shallowest parts, to be out of the reach 
of the subsoil plough or the effect of pressure from 
horses walking over it. In fact, it should not be less 
than two feet six inches below the surface in the 
shallowest part, and the main drains should be at a 
lower level still, and with sufficient inclination to carry 
the water off freely. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 5 



A TABLE showing the Number of Tiles required for 

THOROUGHLY DRAINING AN ACRE OF LAND, ACCORD- 
ING TO THE DISTANCE OF THE DRAINS. 



Length of 

Tile. 
(Inches.) 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
10 feet apart. 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
12 feet apart. 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
15 feet apart. 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
17 feet apart. 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
18 feet apart. 


No. of Tiles per 
Acre, the Drains 
20 feet apart. 


12 


4,356 


3,630 


2,904 


2,562 


2,420 


2,178 



DEEP TILLAGE. 

Deep Tillage has been reserved for the second 
consideration, not because it is of less importance, 
but because it would be useless without drainage. 
Of what advantage would it be for a man to trench 
his garden three feet deep if the earth stood full of 
water? Premising, therefore, that nearly all soils 
require draining more or less, and that as want of 
drainage renders all other labor on the soil compara- 
tively unavailing, it should be first attended to — we 
will endeavor in a few words to impress upon culti- 
vators the advantages of working the subsoil. 

The various plants, during their growth, use the 
constituent parts of the soil in different proportions, 
some requiring a preponderance of the alkalies, some 
the phosphates, &c, and this fact accounts for the 
exhaustion consequent upon continually growing the 
same sort of crop in a field without intermission ; 
some necessary food having been extracted from the 
soil which is consumed by that plant, and it ceases to 
remunerate the cultivator for his labor until he 
manures his land — or, in other words, returns to the 
soil similar ingredients to those he has carried away 



6 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



from it in his crops. Such being the case, it will be 
admitted that deep ploughing will afford greater scope 
for the roots, more food for the plants, and conse- 
quently the land will not be so soon exhausted ; it 
will be almost like two fields in one. In shallow 
ploughing a hard " pan " is formed at the bottom, as 
impervious to water as if it had been puddled, and 
during our heavy and continual rains everything is 
flooded and destroyed. In drought the result is equally 
disastrous, for the four or five inches of earth is soon 
dried through to the hard bottom, and the crop either 
perishes or yields no return. 

There are some subsoils which are unfit for the 
support of vegetable life until exposed to the action 
of the atmosphere, and thus in shallow tillage the 
roots, on reaching the undisturbed subsoil, run along 
without penetrating it, and are forced to depend 
entirely upon the few inches of surface soil for sup- 
port, exposed alike to destruction by either drought 
or flood. As an instance of this, some clay subsoils 
may be mentioned which owe their color to the pre- 
sence of protoxide or oxide of iron, which is deleteri- 
ous to vegetable and animal life ; but, by thoroughly 
draining and breaking this soil, and thus fully expos- 
ing it to the influence of the atmosphere, more oxygen 
is absorbed, and this injurious agent is converted into 
peroxide of iron, which is beneficial and necessary, 
being a great promoter of vegetation. It also fre- 
quently happens that from want of mixture the 
surface soil is deficient in some of the important 
earths and saline matters in which the subsoil is rich. 
In most cases, however, it will be best to break up 
the subsoil without bringing it to the surface, and 
gradually mix it with the surface soil at each subse- 
quent ploughing, as it gets sweetened and ameliorated 
by exposure to the air and rain ; and this may readily 
be accomplished by using the trenching plough in the 
bottom of the furrow after the common plough — for 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



7 



as it is constructed in a very strong manner, with a 
share but no mould boards, it raises the earth in the 
bottom of the furrow, and passing under it leaves it in 
a loosened state without raising it to the surface. 



TRENCHING. 

The result aimed at in this operation is similar to 
that contemplated by using the subsoil plough, only 
it is more uniform and effective ; and this is more 
generally used in forming gardens, orchards, and 
vineyards. As soils differ much in character, trench- 
ing has to be modified accordingly: in some cases it 
may be desirable to bury the top soil six or eight 
inches for the roots of the trees or vines to grow in, 
while the next spit would be exposed on the surface 
to be gradually ameliorated by the sun and atmos- 
phere ; in other cases, such as the gravelly ridges 
around Brisbane, which generally have a clay subsoil, 
and those of a schistose formation, require digging to 
the full depth and mixing thoroughly ; while a third 
class, having a rank and unproductive subsoil, requires 
trenching in such a manner as to leave the bad soil at 
the bottom. 

Common trenching (which should be two feet to 
two feet six inches deep) is performed as follows : — 
On the upper part of the ground to be trenched, 
mark off' a strip two feet six inches wide, divide the 
remainder of the ground in a similar manner : dig 
the whole of the earth out of the first portion to the 
full depth, and wheel it to the lower part of the ground 
where the work is to terminate ; dig the top spit of the 
next space and throw it into the bottom of the newly 
made trench, and so on until the second space is to the 
required depth, and thus to the end of the work. 

The method adopted when the subsoil is to be left 
at the bottom is to remove the strip of surface soil two 



8 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



feet six inches wide, as directed previously, and dig the 
subsoil thoroughly, and as deep as possible, mixing 
manure with it if thought desirable ; then dig and 
throw in the surface soil from the next portion: re- 
peating the operation to the end. 

In trenching land great care should be observed 
lest the bottom is left in hollows where water would 
collect and injure the soil. 





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HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



9 



VALUE OF MANURES. 

The saving and application of manures have 
received much attention of late years in England, and 
the farmers of Queensland would do well to follow the 
example of the Chinese gardeners and Belgian farmers 
in this respect. Refuse of every description, bones, 
human excrement, and the excrement of all the domestic 
animals and fowls, are carefully collected and applied 
to the soil, and urine, which is in many countries en- 
tirely neglected, is carefully collected in tanks. With 
regard to the value of the latter, Dr. Hodges says : " A 
farmer who keeps three stall-fed cows and one horse, 
and collects merely the solid dung, allowing the urine 
to escape into the drains, loses annually in the cow 
urine 3069 lbs., and in that of the horse, 89 lbs. ; in all 
upwards of 28 cwt. of dry fertilizing matter, equal in 
virtue to the best Peruvian Guano, and which would be 
capable, without the addition of any other manure, of 
keeping seven acres of land in the most fertile condition." 
The same quantity of Guano would be worth upwards 
of £23 in Brisbane. 

" The bodies of both men and animals are derived 
from the same materials as the plants that we culti- 
vate — both are from the same soil — creatures of the 
dust ; the plant directly deriving the materials of its 
growth from the minerals of the held and the gases 
of the air, and the animal indirectly through the 
vegetable creation. Chemistry has clearly shown us 
that the lime of our limestone mountains, the potash 
which exists in our granite rocks, and the phosphorous 
of our soils, by the wonderful arrangements of Provi- 
dence, become food for our crops, and ultimately build 
up the structure of our bodies. Nor are these mate- 
rials which nature provides in the earth squandered : a 
wonderful economy is displayed in every part of 
creation. The matters which we receive in our food, 



10 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



which become blood and flesh and solid bone, are not 
allowed, even during life, to remain inactive. They 
have no sooner performed the office assigned to them 
than they are discharged from the body ; and in the 
liquid and solid excrements of both men and animals 
we discover the mineral materials contained in the bread 
and beef, the seeds and roots, which had composed their 
food," — Liehig. 

" By the Belgian farmer the value of the liquid and 
solid excrements of an individual is estimated at £1 17 /- 
per annum, and so carefully is every trace of these 
manures collected in the towns, that the public authori- 
ties are relieved from all the expense and trouble which 
in this and other countries are incurred in the removal 
of nuisances. In China also, which has preceded us 
in so many of our boasted improvements, strict laws 
are enacted for the careful preservation of human ex- 
crements." 

What has just been stated of the valuable fertiliz- 
ing qualities of human excrements, and the importance 
which is at present attached to their preservation in 
other countries, may, it is to be hoped, induce farmers 
here to give greater attention to these manures. Their 
offensive odour may be removed, and their value as 
manure increased, by adding to them coal or wood 
ashes, or sawdust moistened with a solution made by 
dissolving the substance called "Green Vitriol " 
(sulphate of iron) in water. To fix the ammonia in 
urine, add ten drachms of sulphate of iron to each 20 
gallons. 

The "earth closet system" presents this valuable 
manure in the most inoffensive and portable form * and 
it should be largely used. 

It has been proved by chemical, analysis that the 
various crops require the constitueiits of the soil, in 
different proportions, for their proper growth, which 
will account for the advantage derived from rotation 
of crops, and also explain why some experiments have 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



11 



failed when made indiscriminately with, either lime, 
bones, guano, gypsum, or salt. They have each- been 
expected by some of their unthinking advocates to 
produce marvellous results on every variety of soil and 
for every description of crop. Land already charged 
with saline particles will derive no benefit^ from a dres- 
sing of salt, neither will land well supplied with lime 
and its compounds be improved with a lime dressing. 
But with a moderate amount of knowledge it will be 
found there is no land but what may be improved ; 
and the means of improvement are at the command of 
every cultivator, small or great. 

Lime and salt are both destructive of insect life 
and fungus, and as they greatly improve the texture 
and fertility of soil previously deficient of them, their 
application to almost all soils would be highly benefi- 
cial. 

If all the sweepings and refuse of the farm-house, 
fowl-house, pigsty, stable, and the human excrements 
were carefully collected, mixed with green weeds, 
and rolled into a pit, and all carefully applied to the 
land, we should have less complaints of bad crops, and 
the necessity of sending to Peru for guano would be 
considerably diminished. 

Peruvian Guano is rendered less dusty, and, con- 
sequently, more easy to handle, by being mixed with 
an equal quantity of salt. Its value as a manure is 
also increased. 



The following are the different kinds and rates of 
manures applied to the acre of ordinary ground for 
producing heavy crops :- — 

10 cwt. of crushed bones ... ... per acre. 

5 cwt. ditto and 10 tons farm-yard manure 
5 cwt. ditto and l^cwt. Peruvian guano.., ,, 
3 cwt. Peruvian guano ... ... ... 

1J cwt. ditto and 10 tons farm-yard manure 

20 tons farm-yard manure ... ... ... „ 



12 



HOCKINGS 3 GARDEN MANUAL. 



10 cwt. of salt per acre for asparagus, beet, mangel 

wurzel 3 &c. 

H oz. of fresh Peruvian guano to one gallon water 
is a safe proportion for guano liquid. 
One part by weight of cow dung with ten parts water 
is the proportion used for liquid manure. 



COMPARATIVE PROPERTIES OF 
SOIL. 

It is admitted by all gardeners that the soil best 
calculated for general garden purposes should be of 
rather a light, rich, friable, loamy texture ; dry, mel- 
low, and capable of being wrought at all seasons, and 
of a good depth — that is, from two feet to three feet 
and a-half, and that the worst kinds are those of the 
very light, sandy, and stiff clayey texture. A loam 
of a middling texture, rather inclining to sand, will 
be found the most suitable for the majority of kitchen 
vegetables. If the soil be too strong, the roots of 
plants push weakly into it. and are apt to canker and 
perish : if too light, and at the same time poor, the 
roots of vegetables will wander far in search of 
nourishment, and be unable to collect a sufficient 
quantity for their support and maintenance. It is a 
false principle to depend upon manures entirely, for 
were they to be had in the greatest abundance, a too 
free application of them would have effects highly 
injurious to the quality of vegetables in general. In 
the formation of a garden a moderate and prudent 
expense should be bestowed at the beginning, if the 
undertaking is to be ultimately crowned with success 
and satisfaction. 

Strong stubborn clays are to be avoided, being the 
most unfit of all others, as tew vegetables will prosper 
in them. Sand, lime, chalk, and coal-ashes, correct 
the tenacity of clayey soils, and make them work more 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



13 



pleasantly : the former, if sharp, or if it be river or sea 
sand, with a mixture of shells, will, if given in a 
sufficient quantity, render it of a lighter texture. 
Chalk should be spread on the surface in spring, so that 
the whole may be pulverised by the action of the sum- 
mer's sun and rains, and dug in in the autumn. It 
corrects the acidity of the clay, and renders it at the 
same time more friable. Lime acts much in the same 
w^ay, but should be used more sparingly. Coal-ashes 
have much the same effect upon stiff soils. Lime 
rubbish dug in is a good corrector of stiff soils, and is 
less objectionable than the coal-ashes. Decayed tan- 
ners' bark, bog mould, or any vegetable mould applied 
to strong soils, lightens them considerably. Such soils 
cannot be too much wrought by the spade ; every 
opportunity should be taken to ridge and rough-dig 
strong soils ; and such operations should not be done in 
wet weather, nor when the ground has been saturated 
with wet. 

Orchards, orangeries, vineyards, and pineapple plan- 
tations are found to thrive on the stony ridges in the 
vicinity of Brisbane better than in the rich alluvial 
flacs. The soil for such purposes should be trenched 
two feet six inches deep and well drained, at least three 
feet deep, no matter what the surface declivity may be. 
If manure is required, it may be applied as a top- 
dressing, and lightly forked in among the plants. 

In this climate great advantage will be derived 
from digging such land deep, and roughly throwing it 
up in beds to lay exposed to the sun during the summer. 
The sun has an effect almost equal to the frost in Eng- 
land in causing the disintegration of the soil under 
such circumstances. 

In procuring mould, either for renewing or im- 
proving the soil, care should be taken to prefer such 
only as is near the surface, as it is in general the most 
productive and fruitful, and is in reality the true 
vegetable earth. The top spit, that is, to the depth of 



u 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN" MANUAL. 



one foot from the surface of any common or field, which 
has not been cropped, is to be preferred, and the fuller 
it is of fibrous matter the better it will prove for the 
growth of the plants. 



IRRIGATION. 

Irrigation" as a means of increasing the produce of 
the soil is of great antiquity. It is practised to a 
considerable extent in China. India, Italy, and other 
countries, and in England the water meadows are a 
source of great profit. In Queensland there is 
abundance of grass for the cattle without resorting to 
this means of providing it: but there is scarcely any 
country where the inducement to irrigate is greater. 
With the continual risk of drought, and wages at the 
maximum rate, it behoves the farmer to adopt every 
means within his reach to protect himself against the 
former, as well as to economise the latter. One 
great obstacle to the general introduction of irrigation 
is. that our rivers are mostly salt ; and we are not 
possessed of any satisfactory information as. to how far 
such water can be advantageously used for growing 
crops. It is not considered safe to nse water contain- 
ing more than three per cent, of salt ; and as from some 
experiments made by the late Mr. Eldridge on the 
River Brisbane water, after dry weather, it was found 
to contain five per cent, of salt, it appears that at the 
time when the water would be most urgently required 
for irrigation it would be unsafe for the farmers on the 
Brisbane to use the water from that river, unless mixed 
with an equal quantity of fresh : and then it should 
never be allowed to touch the foliage of the plants. 

There are, no doubt, many positions where a 
suitable supply of water which, taking its rise at a 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



15 



greater elevation, would be at command for this pur- 
pose, or could be made available at a reasonable out- 
lay. Were such circumstances taken advantage of, it 
may be safely affirmed that the benefits would be so 
striking as to induce more costly operations. It cannot 
be too clearly impressed that, in time of drought or 
in hot weather, a mere sprinkling from the watering- 
pot is often injurious, while a good flow of water run- 
ning along the alleys among the growing crops for 
half an hour in the evening two or three times a week 
would produce the utmost luxuriance of growth. Mr. 
Knight, one of the first authorities in all matters con- 
nected with gardening, says in reference to this subject: 
" The quantity of water which may be given with ad- 
vantage to plants of almost every kind, during warm 
and bright weather is, I believe, very much greater 
than any gardener who has not seen the result will be 
inclined to suppose possible ; and it is greater than 
I myself could have believed upon any other evi- 
dence than that of actual experience. 7 ' 

It has been found on careful experiment that only 
about one-fifth of the rain-fall reaches the water chan- 
nels so as to be available for irrigation ; but that 
quantity stored up and applied judiciously to the farms 
around the great centres of population would produce 
the most valuable results. 

The average annual rain-fall in Brisbane for five 
years was nearly 56 inches, which bears favorable 
comparison with Sydney, where on an average of 
fifteen years the returns indicate only 49 inches. It 
will thus be seen that it is not from insufficiency of 
rain that we suffer, but the means of storing it up and 
applying it to the land. One inch of water is equal to 
22,627 gallons on an acre of land. 

There are two classes of persons who will be 
especially benefited by the development of any simple 
and easily managed system by which the produce of 
the soil may be increased. These are the agriculturists 



16 



HOCKINGS' GAfiDEN MANUAL. 



and the flock-owners. The former have often to regret 
the loss of their crops from the droughts which too 
frequently interfere between seed time and harvest. 
The latter have to mourn over the loss of flocks arid 
herds which perish during a drought, partly from want 
of food to eat, but principally from want of water. 

The flock-owner, again, even when not affected by 
drought, is obliged to distribute his flocks and herds 
over a large area. The produce of the natural pas- 
turage of the country is too scanty to admit of the 
depasturage of one-tenth part of the stock which 
might be kept upon it, were proper means taken to 
increase its fertility, among which means irrigation 
ranks highest. The agriculturist is obliged to content 
himself with inferior crops from the want of means of 
applying the proper stimulus to the soil, which means 
would be afforded were he placed in a position to irri- 
gate his farm, 

The soil and the climate of Lombardy are not 
more favorable to cultivation than those of many 
parts of this colony ; and the district between Milan, 
Lodi, and Pavia, containing about 100,000 acres, 
supports 100,000 head of cattle, 28,000 horses, and 
100,000 head of smaller stock — an amount which 
would in this country depasture an area at least 
twenty times as great. The increased capacity of 
maintaining stock is due entirely to the mode in 
which advantage has been taken of the water by which 
this district is surrounded to irrigate the whole of it 
perfectly. 



HQC KINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



IRRIGATION OF GRASS LANDS 
WITH LIQUID MANURE. 

Occupiers of land on the Continent have been for 
many years aware of the eminent advantages of liquid 
manure. " So long ago as 1829, in a published 
account of the various methods of dairy husbandry, 
pursued by the Dutch, the practical application and 
advantages of liquid manure was well understood by 
that industrious and intelligent people," The method 
was as follows : — " Early in the season part of the 
proprietor's farm and some small fields near the cow- 
house were sown with barley and grass seeds, and 
watered with diluted cow urine by means of a fire 
engine. Barrels full of urine were also conveyed to 
the land on hand barrows with broad wheels, which 
were easily wheeled along the rich soft ground, which 
would have been destroyed by horses and carts. The 
contents of the barrels were discharged by means of 
pipes eight feet long, perforated with holes. The 
grass of the field thus irrigated was cut five or six 
times a year, and, though not very long in the blade, 
there was always great weight of produce. Indeed, it 
was so thick and rich, that it would have rotted unless 
cut often. The grass was cut during the day when the 
weather was wet or moist, but when it was dry it was 
cut late at night or early in the morning, and the field 
irrigated immediately after being cut." 

In an experiment made by Dr. Guy, in which the 
grass of a park had been partly irrigated with sewage, 
the animals found the irrigated grass so grateful to 
them, that " while in other parts of the park they have 
suffered the grass to grow without let or hindrance, 
they have kept it close nibbled, and wili not give it an 
opportunity of growing." 

c 



18 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



Mr. Chadwick relates the experience of Mr. 
Barber. Murdnackwood. This gentleman had twenty- 
seven acres of land before his house, so poor that it 
originally fed only two cows. In a stable near the 
house were forty cows and four horses ; the dung of 
the cows was put into a tank and largely diluted with 
water, and with this he irrigated twenty-two acres. 
With the refuse of his house and scullery he irrigated 
rive acres. The produce was so large that on that 
same plot he has been enabled to feed all the cows 
and the horses : that is to say. the increased produce 
was such, that forty-four animals were fed where 
there had previously been only food enough for two. 
Mr. Smith. Deanstone. says : 4> The practical result of 
this application of sewage is, that lard which let 
formerly at from 40 - to £6 per Scotch acre, is now 
let annually at from £30 to £10, and that poor sandy 
land, on the sea shore, which might be worth 2 6 per 
acre, lets at an annual rental of from £15 to £20. 
That which is nearest the city brings the higher rent, 
chiefly because it is near and more accessible to the 
points where the grass is consumed, but also partly 
from the better natural quality of the land. The 
average value of the land, irrespective of the sewer 
water application, may be taken at £o per imperial 
acre, and the average rent of the irrigated land at 
£30, making a difference of £27 : but £2 may be de- 
ducted as the cost of management, leaving £25 per acre 
of clear annual income due to the sewer water."' 

Every farmer in Queensland should have one or 
more tanks of liquid manure to apply to the roots of 
his growing crops. To every pigsty, stable, and 
■water closet there should be a tank conveniently 
situated (and fitted with a lid), from which a supply 
could be at all times obtained, and being diluted 
according to its strength, with three or six times its 
volume, applied to such crops as require it. Care 
should be taken not to use it too strong. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



18 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 

Certain plants exhaust the soil of the particular 
salts or other mineral matters which are required for 
their nourishment. When the substance required by 
plants is found in the soil in which they grow, the 
plants are vigorous ; but when the soil becomes ex- 
hausted of them the plants become weak and sickly, 
and a further crop of that plant cannot be grown in 
that soil until it has had returned to it the substance 
which had been exhausted. Another crop, however, 
requiring a different substance may be grown in the 
same soil the next year. For instance, plants that 
require potash, such as the beet, the mangel wurzel, 
and the turnip, may succeed plants that require lime, 
such as beans, peas, &c. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



ARTICHOKE— Jerusalem— (Helianthus Tuberosus). 

HESE are propagated in the same manner as 
potatoes. Being very hardy, and spreading 
in the soil, they will thrive in almost any 
situation ; and as they are difficult to eradicate, they 
should be put in some situation where they are not 
likely to be troublesome. Plant the small tubers in 
spring (or in February if not procurable at that time), 
fifteen inches apart, in rows three feet between. To 
save time and trouble the rows may be dug alternately, 
and the small sets immediately replanted in the same 
place after well manuring and digging. By this 
method a continual succession is provided in the same 
bed. 



ARTICHOKE— Globe— (Cynara Scolymus). 

Some growers prefer the French or oval artichoke 
on account of its superior flavor, but the globe sort is 
more generally cultivated because of its dwarf and 
prolific habit. In Europe, artichoke bottoms are dried 
in the sun for winter use, and are esteemed either plain, 
fricaseecl, fried, or pickled ; but the whole plant, if 
covered with sand, may be preserved for a long time, 
and the young ones may be pickled whole. 

The artichoke is propagated my means of suckers, 
which are planted early in spring. Plant them when 
about ten inches high, in rows, four feet apart, and three 
feet from plant to plant, in rich, deep, moist loam, well 
manured. The situation should be open. Shade with 



24 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



large pots, and water freely in dry weather, occasion- 
ally giving rather strong liquid manure. Remove the 
pots when the plants begin to grow. In October re- 
move all small suckers, and mulch the ground with dung 
three inches thick between the rows. In the absence 
of dung, use grass mowings. The beds last for about 
five years, when a fresh plantation should be made. 
Manure the beds annually early in spring with a layer 
of fine wood or coal ashes forked in, and then a heavy 
dressing of half rotten clung. Mulch the ground an- 
nually in October. 

Artichoke Chards : In October or November cut 
away the leaves and stems of a few plants to within 
six inches of the ground : many young shoots will soon 
appear ; when sufficiently grown, draw them together 
and bind them up in haybands. In a month they will 
be blanched. 



ASPARAGUS. 

In making asparagus beds, choose the best soil 
which the garden affords. The most favorable is a 
deep sandy loam, dug deep and well manured, a good 
sprinkling of salt being added to the surface a month 
or two before the planting season, that the rain and 
atmosphere may act upon it. Before planting, the 
ground should have another good dressing of well 
rotted manure, be trenched again two feet to two feet 
six inches deep, and again well sprinkled with salt, 
leaving the surface neat and even as the work proceeds. 
The Connova is much esteemed by some growers, on 
account of its gigantic size. 

Planting : During May or June, mark out the 
beds four feet wide, with paths two feet wide running 
north aucl south. Strain a line parallel with the bed 
nine inches from the side ; with a spade cut a trench 
six inches deep perpendicular on the side next the 
line ; against this place the plants at fifteen inches 



HOCKINGS" GARDEN MANUAL. 



25 



asunder, with great care, spreading the roots out and 
leaving the crowns two inches below the surface \ till 
in the earth quickly to avoid all unnecessary exposure. 
Two other rows at fifteen inches asunder, planted in 
a similar manner, will complete each bed. The object 
in having the beds so narrow is that they may never 
be trodden upon, as from the length of time they 
remain without any further opportunity for deep dig- 
ging, everything must be avoided which would tend to 
compress the earth. 

Subsequent cultivation : \Vater must be given 
daily in dry weather until the plants are established. 
The beds must be kept clear of weeds throughout the 
year. Liquid manure should be applied plentifully 
twice a week from September through the summer, 
and a dressing of salt once a month. In May cut the 
stalks down and dig the beds lightly over with a fork, 
turning up the paths also. Lay over the beds a good 
dressing of manure to remain until spring. Early in 
August give the beds a crood di^oing with the fork, 
thoroughly mixing the manure ; rake the surface 
smooth, drawing the rough luinps into the paths. Begin 
to cut in September, as ready. Superphosphate of lime 
is a good special manure. 

About eight square perches will be sufficient for 
a large private establishment. The beds should be 
entirely free from the shade of trees. In Spain, 
Austria, and other continental countries, earthen pipes, 
wooden tubes, and cane joints, twelve to fifteen inches 
long, are placed over the tender shoots to ensure their 
being more perfectly blanched. The seed roasted and 
ground is said to equal coffee. 



BEANS— (Broad Windsor, Longpod, and Mazagan). 

The soil most suitable for the main crop is a 
heavy loam dug deeply and manured, if necessary. 



26 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Sow in drills two inches deep, three feet six inches 
apart, and the seed nine inches apart in the drills. If 
sown in dry weather, have the bottom of the drills 
well watered before sowing. For five rows, each five 
yards long, a pint of seed will be sufficient. For an 
early crop, sowings may be made in March or April, 
and for a late crop, in September or October. When 
the crop comes into full blossom take an inch or two 
off the top of each plant ; it is said to strengthen the 
plant and throw it into fruit. The crop should be 
gathered as it becomes fit for use, whether required or 
not, to prolong the succession of supplies. 



BEANS— (French or Kidney). 

The best dwarf varieties yet tried are the Early 
Dun, Negro, China, and Black and Red /Speckled. 

An open situation and light rich soil, well dug, 
are required for French beans. They should be sown 
in drills two feet or two feet six inches apart, care 
being taken not to sow the seed too deep, say never 
more than one to one and a-half inch. The plants 
should be eight inches to a foot apart in the rows, and 
as they grow the earth should be drawn up to the 
stems at each side to prevent their being blown over 
by high winds. 

If the weather should become very dry, and 
there is a supply of water at command, the beds 
should have a good soaking occasionally. Gather the 
beans regularly as they are ready, as it will prolong 
their bearing. Successional sowings may be made in 
the neighbourhood of Brisbane from September to 
April. The running varieties should have their runners 
cut when they have grown a fair size, to check over 
luxuriance and induce fruitfulness. 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



27 



BEET. 

The varieties are known as Bed Beet and Silver 
Beet. The former is grown for the roots, and much 
esteemed by some persons as a vegetable ; but more 
generally used sliced in salads, sometimes alone with 
an acid dressing, and also pickled. Sugar is produced 
from the latter ; it is also grown for its leaves, which 
are used as spinach, and the stalks as seakale. Beet 
requires a deep, rich, open soil, well manured. The 
ground should be dug at least two spades deep, the 
whole of the manure used being turned in with the 
bottom spit, to cause the tap roots to descend, and pre- 
vent forked or side roots. Sow for early winter crop 
in February, and for summer crops in August and Sep- 
tember, in drills two feet apart ; the seed should be 
covered about an inch deep, and the plants thinned out 
to twelve or eighteen inches apart in rows. A dres- 
sing of salt dug in with the manure will be found 
beneficial, and fine bone-dust or phosphatic manures 
are highly valued for this crop. 



BROCOLI. 

White and Purple Cape, and Grange's Early 
White, are the most suitable for our climate. For 
cultivation see Cauliflower. Sowings may be made in 
June, August, ^NTovember, and January for succession. 



BRUSSELS SPPwOCJTS. 

This plant rises up with a very long stem, which 
has a spreading open head at the top. The large 
leaves are broken down to facilitate the formation of the 
little cabbages from all the joints up the stem. They 
should be gathered when they have the appearance of 
half-blown roses, leaving the top uncut. 



28 



HOCKINGS ? GARDEN MANUAL. 



The seed may be sown in J une and August, and 
again in November and February. The cultivation is 
the same as for cabbages, but they require more room 
on account of their height. They should be planted in 
rows three feet apart, and the plants two feet apart in 
the rows. 



CABBAGE. 

The following varieties are selected as the sorts 
most approved of for general cultivation : Early — 
Wheeler's Imperial, East Ham. Medium — St John's 
Day, Large York, Sugar Loaf, Nonpareil, King, Dwarf 
Dutch, Battersea. Late crops — Drumhead, Flat 
Dutch. 

Soil : The soil should be rich, moist, but well 
drained, and not too light ; thoroughly well dug, and 
highly manured, turning in 75 to 100 loads of stable 
manure per acre. 

Sowing : It is desirable to make small sowings 
at intervals throughout the year, that plants may 
always be ready to put out in favorable weather. The 
largest sowings may be made in January and June. 
The latter season, the red pickling cabbage may be 
sown. It is best always to protect the seed bed from 
the sun until the plants have four leaves, by sticking 
in small sprigs of brushwood all over the bed. Should 
it be deemed advisable to make a sowing of cabbage 
seed in dry weather, the following will be found a 
good practice : — The bed being well dug, give it a 
thorough good watering, not a mere sprinkling; the 
next morning repeat it, and in the afternoon sow the 
seed, raking it in well ; protect the bed from the direct 
rays of the sun by a portable calico screen, and, if the 
weather continues dry, water every morning until the 
plants have got the fourth leaf. 

Transplanting : In performing this operation, the 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



29 



extreme ends of the roots maybe removed, to increase 
the tendency to form lateral roots. The small varie- 
ties may be planted two feet apart each way, and 
the large sorts three feet ; in poor soil they may 
stand closer. If the plants are at all infected with 
the blight, dip them carefully in a weak solution of 
Gishurst Compound. In transplanting in dry weather, 
holes should be made with the dibble where the plants 
are to stand, and abundance of water poured in ; in a 
few minutes they will be ready to receive the plants 
by sinking the setting stick in the centre of each hole 
to open it a second time ; then let the plants be put in, 
closing the earth well at the bottom of the roots. 

Culture : Digging between the growing crops will 
be of great advantage, especially if the ground has 
got hardened by excessive rain. In seasons of drought 
the ground should not only be kept open, but mulching 
and liquid manure should be resorted to. Lime is a 
good special manure. 



CHILLI and CAPSICUMS. 

Under this head we will include the several sorts 
of chilli and capsicum. They are all hardy in the 
vicinity of Brisbane, and can be sown in the open 
border in September, slightly protecting the bed from 
sun and wind until the plants are well up. When 
strong enough to transplant, remove them to where 
they are to stand, in a rich, warm bed, at three feet 
apart. Shade them with a branch placed over them 
at the sunny side until established. 



CARDOON. 

The Spanish variety is considered the best, from 
the size and succulency of the midribs of its leaves, 
The soil suitable for the cardoon is a light deep loam, 



30 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



In September prepare a trench as for celery, twelve 
inches deep and twenty-two inches wide ; fork into 
the bottom of it well decomposed manure, four inches 
deep ; sow three or four seeds in patches eighteen 
inches apart along the centre. As soon as the seed 
leaf is well formed thin the plants, leaving only the 
strongest one in each patch ; hoe freqnently among 
the plants, and water thoroughly with diluted liquid 
manure. When about eighteen inches high rub off 
all the side shoots from the crowns to the surface, 
and add a little earth to support the leaves ; when they 
are full grown (two feet in height or more), tie up the 
leaves compactly together with a piece of banana fibre 
or soft rope, then wind a hay or straw band, moderately 
tight, round from the bottom to nearly the top, and 
earth up the same height ; when completely blanched 
the plants are ready for use. 



CARROTS. 

The Early Horn is a fine flavored early carrot, 
and, on account of its habit of growth, is adapted for 
cultivation in soils which would be too shallow for the 
other varieties. The Intermediate, Long Orange, and 
Altringham are suitable for deep soils. 

The carrot requires a light, rich, sandy loam, of 
considerable depth, which should be dug two spades 
deep, being careful to break all lumps, and to turn in 
any manure ten or twelve inches under the surface, 
that the roots may strike down straight and smooth. 

Sowing: The seed soon perishes, and is more 
frequently bad than any other garden seed. The 
carrot may be sown either broadcast or in drills one 
foot apart. As the seed is liable to hang together, it 
should be well rubbed in the hands, mixed with sand, 
to separate it previous to sowing ; and as it is very 
light it should be sown on a calm day. On light soil, 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



31 



not subject to binding in wet weather, the seed should 
be gently and evenly trodden in, and then evenly 
raked over ; being careful not to draw the earth into 
hillocks. On land of a more retentive nature, it should 
be raked in only. Sow for main crop in January, 
February, and March, and occasional small sowings for 
succession. 

Culture : Ply the hoe freely to keep the weeds 
down and stir the soil. Thin the plants out to five or 
six inches apart. 



CAULIFLOWER. 

The Large Asiatic, Early London, Early Dwarf 
Erfurt, and Alma have given great satisfaction in 
Queensland. 

Soil : The soil for the seed bed may be light, but 
for final transplanting it can hardly be too rich. 

Sowing : For the winter crop, sow in December 
and January; for the summer crop in June and July. 
It is desirable to protect the seed bed from the dry- 
ing effect of the sun and wind, by sticking in a few 
twigs of brushwood, in rows over the bed (not too 
thickly), until the plants are up, and the seed leaves 
well developed. 

Cultivation: The soil should be of the best 
description, thoroughly dug and manured. Trans- 
plant in favorable weather two feet to two feet six 
inches apart, watering the plants until established, 
During the growth of the plants, water frequently 
with liquid manure. Stir the surface as often as it 
binds, and draw the soil up to the stems to support 
them. When the heads begin to appear, water should 
be freely applied, for the flower is greatly improved by 
abundant watering. Two or three leaves should be bent 
over each flower to preserve the color and prevent its 
expanding. 



32 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



A few cauliflowers may be preserved for some 
time after the crops are over, by attention to the fol- 
lowing directions : — Select what may be required for 
this purpose a day or two before they are quite ready. 
Pull the plants up by the roots, and tie the tops of the 
leaves loosely together, then place them in a cool shed 
amongst damp sand or sandy soil, and they will keep 
quite fresh for several weeks. 



CELERY. 

The Red Solid and White Solid are grown under 
various names. The red is considered more hardy, 
and the white is valued for its crispness and delicacy. 

A deep, rich, vegetable mould, in a moist situation, 
is that best suited for celery. In a light rich soil, in 
a shady situation, mark off a seed bed in January. 
Having freely watered, sow the seed thinly broadcast, 
tread then in evenly, and, if the weather is dry, cover 
lightly with sifted stable droppings or decomposed 
manure. When the rough leaf is a little advanced, 
prepare a bed by mixing two inches in depth of well 
decomposed manure with about three inches of the soil ; 
level the surface, water thoroughly, and a few hours 
afterwards, in the evening, plant out the seedlings five 
or six inches apart. The plants should be selected of 
an equal size ; and another bed may be pricked out a 
month later for a succession. 

Final Planting : At five feet apart from centre 
to centre throw out trenches a foot broad and a foot 
deep. At the bottom lay four inches of well rotted 
manure, and mix it well with the soil at the bottom. 
The Americans recommend a dressing of salt. Give 
the whole a thorough good soaking of water ; and, if 
the seed bed be dry, water it also a few hours before 
the seedlings are required, and raise up the plants 
with a ball of earth by means of a trowel ; plant then 
in the centre of the trench at twelve inches a pari, and 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



33 



water again. Shelter them until they are rooted. 
The plants will be eight to twelve inches high when 
finally transplanted, and should at that time have all 
side shoots carefully removed from the crown. The 
beds should be so arranged that no water could stagnate 
at the roots. 

Blanching, &c. : As soon as the plants make a 
little growth apply water copiously when required, 
and diluted liquid manure, soapsuds, &c, occasionally, 
keeping the surface of the soil well stirred. When 
the plants are nearly full grown remove any side 
shoots, then gather the leaves of each plant evenly, 
but not too tightly, together, and tie them up to prevent 
the earth getting into the hearts while earthing up. 
Draw the earth carefully to the plants on each side to 
within six inches of the top ; this operation will have 
to be repeated, and should only be done in dry weather. 
The plants have greater strength and flavor if the 
blanching is deferred until within a few weeks of the 
heads being required for use. 

In Henderson's " Gardening for Profit" — the ex- 
perience of a very successful market gardener in 
America — the practice of planting in trenches for the 
purpose of blanching is deprecated. Henderson recom- 
mends that as the seedling plants advance in growth, 
the tops be shorn off twice before the time of setting 
out, so as to induce a stocky growth. He sets the 
plants six inches apart, in rows which are three feet 
apart, on the level ground, the roots being made firm 
by pressure of the foot. In six or seven weeks after- 
wards sufficient soil is drawn up to the plants to keep 
the leaf stems upright, the earth being pressed round 
each plant with the hand, The blanching process is 
finished with the spade, banking up the earth taken 
from between the rows against the plants as they in- 
crease in height. He grows only dwarf celery, as, 
unlike the taller varieties, the whole of the stem of 
this kind is fit for use. 

D 



34 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



CELERIAC, OR TURNIP-ROOTED CELERY, 

This is not much grown in Queensland, but is 
highly esteemed by Germans and natives of other con- 
tinental nations. The soil and treatment is similar to 
celery, but it is not earthed up to the same extent. 
The turnip-like root is cooked, or it makes an excellent 
salad when sliced and used with vinegar, 



CRESS. 

The Curled Cress is generally preferred. It 
should be sown every fortnight for succession in shallow 
drills on a rich light soil. The seed should be very 
lightly covered, and the drills need not be more than 
three inches apart. 

American Cress is hardy, and maybe sown monthly 
during the spring and summer in drills nine inches 
apart. When the plants are bushy, cut the heads by 
the surface of the ground. 

Water Cress is an excellent salad and well 
deserving cultivation. It is generally propagated by 
cuttings, but may also be reared from seed. To raise 
seedlings, take a box and set it in a shady place ; see 
that there are holes at the bottom to allow the escape 
of stagnant water; place two inches of charcoal or 
other rough material for drainage at the bottom • add 
six inches of compost, made of equal parts of well 
decomposed cow dung and sand, make the surface 
quite smooth, and water copiously : when quite 
drained off, sprinkle the seed evenly over the soil, and 
sift a small quantity of sand over all, so as just to 
cover the seed. Keep the soil regularly watered 
with a fine rose watering-pot ; be careful the surface 
is not disturbed by the water, and that it never gets 
dry. As the plants get large enough to handle, they 
may be planted out three inches apart in a rich well 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



35 



sheltered bed, and watered regularly and abundantly 
until large enough to plant out in their permanent 
positions ; they may then be increased to any extent 
bv cuttings, under similar treatment. A stock of plants 
should be kept in the nursery, until the beds have stood 
the test of drought and flood. — See Garden Calendar 
for June. 



CUCUMBER. 

The Stochicood. London Ridge, and CuthiV's Black 
Spine have been found good sorts for general cultiva- 
tion. 

Any good garden soil, rather moist and sheltered 
from the west, will be found suitable. The ground 
should be double dug, and well manured. In August 
mark off the land into six feet squares. If the soil is 
not very rich, make a hole at each crossing twenty- 
four inches in diameter, mix with the soil two large 
spadefuls of sheep or poultry dung, adding a little 
ashes, bone dust, and salt, if convenient, and nil the 
hole up level with the surface. In the centre of each 
bed make a ring and sow live or six seeds half-an-inch 
deep. When up. thin out to two plants in each bed. 
As the lateral branches show fruit they should be 
stopped, and the secondary lateral- should be pinched 
back to the fruit in the same manner. The various 
runners should be placed so as to cover the bed equally. 

Whenever the soil has a tendency to bind, stir it 
up deeply : and if the weather is dry give the beds a 
good soaking with diluted liquid manure at least 
once a week In hot, dry weather plants should be 
watered at night, and then not niggardly, but suffi- 
cient to damp the bed thoroughly to the roots. Suc- 
cessional sowings may be made in September, October, 
and November. 

To produce straight cucumbers, provide some three- 
sided boxes made of three-inch battens eighteen inches 



36 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



long ; place them underneath the fruit with the open 
side uppermost. 



ENDIVE. 

The cultivation of this useful salad is the same as 
for lettuce, which see. 

Blanching : When the leaves are quite dry and 
the plants have attained nearly their full size, gather 
the whole plant up in your hands in a conical form, 
and tie it round lightly with a strip of banana fibre, 
which is to go several times round the plant, causing 
it to end so pointedly at the top as to prevent the rain 
or dew from penetrating to the interior. Endive is 
sometimes blanched under garden pots, or blanching- 
pots, after the manner of seakale. A week to a fort- 
night will generally be sufficient. 



EARTH NUTS. 

This plant is also known as " pea nut," and 
a pindar ground pea." It is grown extensively in the 
Southern States of America, in China, and other 
countries. 

Make the hills in August, two and a-half to 
three feet apart, and drop three or four of the shelled 
seeds in each ) cover them two inches deep : thin the 
plants to two in a hill, and keep the ground free from 
weeds. The best soil is a rich sandy loam. 

To promote fruiting, the branches should be spread 
out evenly, and gently pressed to the soil. 

The nuts are highly exteemed in England and 
France, and the demand is said to be almost unlimited. 
The quantity exported from Bathurst, on the coast of 
Africa, had increased from 47 tons in 1835 to 11,904 
tons, valued at about £130,000, in 1851. A fine oil is 



H0CKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



37 



extracted from them, and the residue makes a valuable 
oil cake to feed cattle and swine, of which the latter 
are particularly fond. In France the cake is ground, 
roasted, and used as a substitute for coffee. 

In America the consumption of earth nuts is enor- 
mous, and the crop which, prior to 1860, was very 
insignificant, had reached, in 1871, the value of 
2,250,000 dollars. The market price varies with the 
quality from $2 to $2.50 per bushel, and the weight of 
a bushel is from twenty-four pounds, yielding one 
quart of oil to the bushel, to thirty-four pounds, yield- 
ing five quarts of oil. The crop averages forty bushels 
per acre. A machine has been invented by Thos. L. 
Colville, of Wilmington, North Carolina, for hulling 
and winnowing them. The demand is so great that 
pea nut shops have them roasting all day to supply the 
retail trade, and the sales of one man amount to up- 
wards of one thousand bushels a year. The nuts 
thrive best near the sea, and require lime in the soil. 



EGG PLANT— (Solanum Melongena). 

The seed may be sown in a warm border in Sep- 
tember ; and ultimately thin the plants one to two feet 
apart. 

The fruit is much used in India, France, and Italy, 
in soups and stews, and for the general purposes of the 
love apple or tomato. 

The purple variety is known as the Brinjall in 
India. 

GARLIC. 

This vegetable is propagated from the young 
bulbs or offsets. They should be planted in winter, 
in drills drawn one foot apart and one inch deep. 



38 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL, 



Press the lower half of the offset into the soil, leaving 
them in this state during winter, without covering. 
When hoeing them in spring, let the soil fall to them 
so as to leave a level surface. When the leaves get 
yellow in summer they will be fit to gather and hang up 
to dry. A good rich soil suitable for onions will also 
suit garlic. 



HEEBS. 

Plants should be procured if possible. They 
may be planted any time between April and August, 
in a shady border, at eighteen inches apart, and water 
should be given in dry weather. Where plants are 
not obtainable sow the seed in lines drawn a foot apart, 
merely deep enough to cover the seed. When up, thin 
out to a foot apart ; water and mulch during summer, 
and keep the surface loose. In autumn or early spring 
take up and divide the roots, planting them at eighteen 
inches apart-, as first directed. 

As some herbs are annuals, a list is given of a 
considerable number ; and the usual mode of propaga- 
tion mentioned for the guidance of cultivators. 

Shrubby plants : Sage, winter savory, rosemary, 
thyme, rue, wormwood, southernwood, lavender, hys- 
sop, may all be propagated by division of roots, and by 
cuttings. 

Perennial herbaceous plaints : Peppermint, spear- 
mint, pennyroyal, balm, tansy, burnet, chamomile, 
fennel, liquorice. These are all increased by parting 
the roots. 

Perennial and annual plants : Caraway, coriander, 
dill, anise, sweet marjoram, summer savory, sweet basil, 
angelica, borage, kore-kound. All propagated by sow- 
ing tke seed. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



39 



HORSE-RADISH. 

Select in the spring a moist situation, having 
a sandy or light soil. Take out a trench two feet 
wide and eighteen inches deep ; put in the bottom a 
good layer of decomposed manure, which mix with a 
little of the earth at the bottom ; cover this with an 
inch or two of soil ; cut up the roots into portions 
about three inches long and place them along the 
centre of the trench six or eight inches apart, then fill 
up the trench to the level of the surrounding soil. 



LEEK. 

The Musselburgh and London Flag are the best 
sorts. The soil should be rich, deep, well dug, and 
manured with well decomposed manure. Sow the 
seed in April and May, in drills six inches apart and 
half-an-inch deep. When about eight inches high 
transplant them into a bed previously prepared for 
them. Shorten the roots to about an inch from the 
plant, and cut off two inches or more from the 
extremity of the leaves. In drills, fifteen inches 
apart and six deep, plant them with a dibble deep in 
the bottom of the drill, nearly up to the leaves, at a 
distance of eight inches apart. Cut back the leaves 
once a month during their growth, to make their 
necks swell out. As the plants grow, level down the 
soil in the process of loosening it. Late sowings may 
be made with advantage, in favorable seasons, during 
August and September. 



LETTUCE. 

The sorts most approved for general cultivation 
are the Neapolitan, the Drumhead Cabbage Lettuce^ the 
Silesian, and the Paris Cos, 



40 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



Sowings may be made monthly for succession, and 
small beds may be transplanted in favorable weather 
at fifteen inches from plant to plant. 

Some persons having light, rich, moist soil, find it 
to advantage to make their summer sowings in rows, 
fifteen inches apart, putting the seed in thinly, and 
allowing the plants to remain until they arrive at 
maturity. In this case especial care must be taken 
that the ground does not cake, that it be frequently 
stirred, and liquid manure supplied, if necessary. Salt 
and ashes are good special manures. 

Lettuces may be blanched as directed for endive. 



MARTYNIA. 

The seed-pod of this flowering plant is much used 
in America for pickling. 



MELONS. 

The rock and English hybrids are very numerous, 
and so much crossed with each other that they are 
seldom to be obtained true to name and character. 
The water and sugar melons are more generally 
grown. 

The melon requires a stronger soil than cucumber, 
greater exposure to the sun, and not quite so much 
water. The soil should be dug deep, and ashes are a 
good special manure. Stop the lateral branches at the 
third leaf beyond the fruit, renewing the operation 
every fresh growth. 

For sowing and general cultivation see cucumber. 



MUSHROOM. 

A bed of mushrooms is not so difficult of attain- 
ment as is generally believed. There are certain 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



41 



conditions to be carefully observed, the attention to 
which would be amply repaid by an abundant crop. 
The bed must not be too hot or too cold, too dry, and 
especially not too wet. Experience alone, it is pre- 
sumed, would enable the novice to determine the 
happy medium. Excessive heat and too much wet 
are, however, the two great evils to guard against ; 
and any person having a spare corner of a cellar, 
outhouse, or stable, can supply himself with mush- 
rooms either in beds or boxes. As mushroom spawn 
is not to be purchased in Queensland as it is in 
England, one of the most approved methods of pro- 
curing spawn artificially will be given, with such modi- 
fications as the climate demand : Take two barrow- 
loads of cow dung, one load of sheep, and one of horse 
dung ; dry them well ; then break them quite small, so 
as they may go easily through a coarse garden sieve. 
When well mixed together, lay them up in a round 
heap, finishing at the top in a point. It is to be under- 
stood that the operation is to be conducted in a dry 
shed. Observe to tread the heap as it is put up, 
which will greatly save it from heating too much : 
the best adapted and most productive heat is from 55° 
to 60° Fahrenheit. The heap is to be covered with 
horse litter, in a state of fermentation, to the thickness 
of four inches all over, if made in the winter ; but in 
the summer clean old bags would be better, as the 
least over heat would spoil the heap. In this state let 
it lie one month ; then throw the litter a little on one 
side, thrust the hand into the heart of the heap and 
take out a handful \ if the spawn has begun to run you 
will observe numerous small white fibres or threads 
through the dung ; if not begun to run, cover the heap 
up again. The spawn thus procured is of the very 
best description, but will not keep. 

Growing mushrooms in boxes : Each box may be 
three feet long, one and a-half foot broad, and seven 
inches in depth. Fill each box half full of fresh horse 



42 HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 

dung (if wet, to be dried three or four days pre- 
viously), the dung to be well beaten down in the boxes. 
After the second or third day, if any heat has arisen 
amongst the dung, it is then a fit time to spawn. 
Take pieces of the spawn the size of an apple and 
place them about four inches apart upon the surface 
of the dung ; here let them lie for six days, when it 
will be probably found that the side of the spawn 
next to the dung has begun to run in the dung below ; 
then add one and a-half inch more of fresh dung over 
all, beaten down as formerly. Tn a fortnight try the 
dung almost to the bottom of the box, to see if the 
spawn has run well through it ; if it has, cover two 
and a-half inches of mould all over, the surface being 
beaten smooth with a spade. In about a month the 
mushrooms will begin to appear ; if the mould seems 
dry, give a gentle watering with warm water. 



MUSTARD. 

Cultivation same as garden cress, which see. 



OKRA, OR GUMBO —(Abelmoschus Esculentus). 

This vegetable is much used in India and the 
Southern States of America in soups and stews, for 
which purpose the pods should be gathered while green 
and tender. Make successive sowings during spring 
and summer in any good garden soil ; the plants should 
be about five feet apart, and the pods may be cut into 
thin slices and dried for winter use. 



ONIONS. 

Onions require a rich, mellow soil, on a dry sub- 
soil, and are an exception to the general rule of never 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



43 



cropping the same ground successively with the same 
plant. In order to ensure a good crop, the ground 
should have a deep digging in the summer, with a 
good supply of manure, laying the ground up as rough 
as possible. In February give the ground a good dres- 
sing of soot and ashes, and dig it over, breaking all the 
lumps. Throw it up into beds of convenient width, and 
sow pretty thickly in drills one foot apart and one 
inch deep. Tread the seed firmly down, and cover 
nicely with a rake. The crop must be kept clean by 
frequent hoeings, and the surface of the ground loose, 
but not disturbed too deep. 

Transplanting : When the plants are about six 
inches high, transplant into beds similarly prepared 
into rows fifteen inches apart and eight inches apart 
in the rows. In transplanting be careful only to 
insert the root, as deep planting prevents a proper 
development of the bulb. When the leaves begin to 
turn yellow, bend down the tops just above the bulb, 
to facilitate ripening. 

Sowings have been made in September in the 
neighborhood of Brisbane, with the most satisfactory 
results. At that season of the year the growth would 
be rapid and uninterrupted, provided the soil was 
suitable and the weather showery. 

Soot, sea sand, salt, guano, and charred rubbish 
are good special dressings for the surface of onion beds, 
applied at least a week before sowing. 

The Tree Onion is very useful in gardens in the 
interior, as, a few bulbs being secured, a crop is almost 
sure, whether the soil be rich or poor. The ground 
should be well dug, liberally manured, and trod firm. 
Choose the largest of the top bulbs ; press these down 
firmly to the line at six inches apart. The rows may 
be a foot apart. Cover the whole over with three or 
four inches of charred rubbish, charred turf, light rich 
soil, or sandy road scrapings. When the heads run up, 
stakes should be put in at about a yard apart on each 



44 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



side of the row, to support them when they get top- 
heavy with their ciirious crop of onions at the summit 
of each. 



PARSLEY. 

Parsley may be sown twice a year to provide a 
continual supply. Sow in January and August, thinly, 
in drills twelve or fifteen inches apart, and about half 
an inch deep, covering the seed firmly with the rake. 
As the seed does not germinate quickly, the rows should 
be gently shaded by small twigs of brushwood stuck 
into the ground on the sunny side until the plants are 
up. Thin them out to twelve inches apart, and when 
they become strong cut them down, to induce strong, 
well-curled foliage. 



PARSNIPS. 

The cultivation of the parsnip is the same as for 
carrots, with the exception that the soil should, if pos- 
sible, be dug deeper ; and if the seed be sown in drills, 
they should be six inches further apart. 



PEA, 

Sowings of early peas, such as Daniel O'Rourhe, 
McLeans Dwarf Gem, and Veitclis Perfection, may be 
made in January ; the main crop may be sown in 
February, and small occasional sowings through the 
winter. Yorkshire Hero, sown in May or J une, is an 
excellent cropper. 

Peas require a rich, light, well drained soil ; and 
one of the most frequent errors in their cultivation 
is sowing them too thickly. Dwarf sorts should be 
sown in drills two feet six inches asunder, the peas 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



45 



being thinned out to five or six inches apart in the 
rows. The varieties growing three feet high should be 
in rows three feet six inches apart ; and varieties five 
to six feet high, would be grown to greater advantage 
at eight feet between the rows, and two rows of cabbages 
between them. The top of one row should not cast a 
shadow on the lower part of the next, and the whole 
from top to bottom should be fully exposed to light and 
air. Earth up all the crops as they advance, and stake 
up the taller varieties as the tendrils appear. Manure 
liberally, and give liquid manure in dry weather. 

Trellis for Peas : Galvanised wire netting of two- 
inch mesh, attached to posts, forms an excellent trellis 
for peas. It need not be nearer than ten inches above 
the ground, and the tendrils will catch hold of it as 
the peas advance in growth. 



PUMPKIN and SQUASH. 

The cultivation is the same as for cucumber, which 
see ; the only difference is in the space required to ac- 
commodate their more vigorous growth. The holes 
should be eight feet apart, instead of six, and only one 
plant be left in each hole. Two may be left of the sorts 
which are of a less robust habit. 



ROSELLA. 

This is a variety of Hibiscus, and in the southern 
districts of Queensland is an annual. The seed should 
be sown in July or August, protected in a frame if 
there is any risk from frost, and planted out in favor- 
able weather when the plants are sufficiently strong, 
at about six or eight feet apart each way. The fruit, 
from which the favorite rose! la jam is prepared, con- 
sists of the fleshy calyx covering the pericarp or seed 



46 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



vessel, and is generally fit to gather about May. The 
plant thrives in good, rich soil, not too wet, and 
requires a free exposure. 



RADISH. 

Sow occasionally throughout the year. In the 
spring small sowings may be made fortnightly. A 
light, rich, garden soil is suitable for them. If sown 
broadcast, the seed should be covered evenly about 
half an inch deep with soil, and the plants thinned 
out to about four inches apart. If sown in drills they 
should be six inches apart. The seed may be sown a 
little deeper in summer than during winter, and in dry 
weather give the bed a good soaking of water when 
required, as the plants should be grown quickly, and 
used young. 



RHUBARB. 

The Myatt's Victoria is much esteemed for size and 
quality, Prince Albert for hardiness. 

In August prepare a piece of deep, rich soil, and 
sow the seeds in drills eighteen inches apart and one 
inch deep. When the plants are well up, thin them 
out to one foot apart. As they are tender in this 
climate, they must be kept clear of weeds, and have 
sufficient water during the dry weather, or they will 
die off. In June following, let a bed of similar soil 
be dug deep and manured. It should be in a moist, 
shady situation, and quite free from stagnant water 
in the soil. Plant the roots two feet apart each way, 
with the crowns about two inches below the surface. 
Water occasionally, while growing, with a weak solu- 
tion of guano, liquid manure, or soapsuds. Cut the 
flower stems as they appear, which, if they do the 
first year, it is a sign that the ground is not rich or 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



47 



strong enough, or has been badly prepared. In the 
autumn apply a good strong dressing of manure, and 
fork it in. Mulch during the hot weather, keeping the 
ground open. 



SALSAFY and SCORZONERA. 

These require the same treatment as carrots. 
Sow in chills twelve inches apart and two inches deep, 
covering firmly with the rake. Thin the plants out to 
four inches apart, and use them as required until the 
roots show signs of growing, when they may be taken 
up and stored like carrots. 



SAVOY. 

Cultivation same as cabbage. 



ESCHALOT. 

May be propagated throughout the year by divi- 
sion of the roots. Plant as onions, in rich, sandy soil, 
and keep them well weeded. By planting on the top 
of small ridges, the roots only will be in the ground, 
and the bulbs, being on the surface, will develope like 
small onions. 



SEAKALE. 

Cultivation the same as for rhubarb, Obtain 
strong two-year-old roots, and plant them three in a 
clump, at two feet apart each w^ay. The young shoots 
growing from the crowns early in the spring are 
blanched, and, when eight or ten inches high, are fit 
for the table. The ribs of the leaves are sometimes 
used in summer as asparagus. Blanching may be 



48 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



performed in the usual way by covering with blanching 
pots or large garden pots, taking care to cork up the 
hole in the bottom, and to draw some earth round to 
keep out all light ; or may be effected by covering the 
beds with leaves or light manure, or with sea sand. 
Salt is a good special manure. 



SPINACH. 

The prickly spinach is more hardy than the 
round, and is therefore generally sown for- the winter 
crops, while the round variety is used for the summer, 
Occasional sowings may be made during autumn, 
winter, and spring. Sow thinly in drills two feet apart 
by two inches deep. Thin out the young plants to 
twelve inches apart, using the thinnings for culinary 
purposes. After the plants become well developed all 
the outside leaves should be gathered as required for 
use until the flower stalks appear. 



TOMATO, 

There are several varieties of tomatos, yellow and 
red. They are much esteemed in America, and are 
extremely wholesome. 

Sow in August and September in a warm, rich 
border. When the plants are six inches high, thin 
them out to about three feet apart, and support them 
with sticks as you would peas ; or put a light trellis to 
train them on. By this plan they will not grow so 
rambling, and the crops will be much greater and of 
superior quality. Stop the plant when the first fruit 
forms, by pinching off the end of the shoot. Water 
when necessary. 

" Dr. Bennet, a professor of some celebrity, con- 
siders it an invaluable article of diet, and ascribes to 
it very important medicinal properties. He declares : 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



4:9 



1. That the tomato is one of the most powerful de- 
obstruents of the materia medica ; and that in all 
those affections of the liver and other organs where 
calomel is indicated, it is probably the most effective 
and least harmful remedial agent known in the pro- 
fession. 2. That a chemical extract can be obtained 
from it which will altogether supersede the use of 
calomel in the cure of diseases. 3. That he has suc- 
cessfully treated diarrhoea with this article alone. 4. 
That when used as a diet it is almost a sovereign remedy 
for dyspepsia and indigestion. 



TURNIP. 

The White Dutch, Early Snowball, Red A merican 
Stone, and Orange Jelly are the favorite sorts. The 
red American stone is much valued in the interior, 
where it is found early and hardy, producing a good 
turnip in seasons which prove destructive to the other 
varieties. 

A light, moderately rich garden mould is suitable. 
It should be dug thoroughly and broken fine. Bone 
dust, lime, ashes, and gypsum are good special manures. 

The seed is sown broadcast for main crop during 
August, September, and October, rather thinly, cover- 
ing the seed with the rake ; when the plants have the 
rough leaves one inch broad, thin them with the hoe to 
six inches apart, carefully eradicating the weeds. They 
should be watered during dry weather with diluted 
liquid manure. Occasional sowings may be made 
during January, February, and March. 

VEGETABLE MARROW. 

For mode of cultivation see " Cucumber," the 
instructions for which are applicable to the vegetable 
marrow, except that only one plant should be left to each 
space, and the distance eight feet apart instead of six. 

E 



50 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



SEEDS— Per Acre. 



The following table of seed necessary per acre 



will be found useful for reference : — 

Pounds. 

Beets ... ... ... ... ... 4 to 6 

Cabbage .. ... ... .. ... 1 to 1| 

Carrot 2 to 3 

Cucumber in hills ... ... .. ... ... 1 to 2 

Clover, red, broadcast ... ... ... ... 15 to 20 

Clover, white, broadcast ... ... ... ... 12 to 16 

Clover, white, in drills ... ... ... ... 8 

Furze or Corse, broadcast ... . . . . ... 30 to 40 

Furze or Corse, in drills 10 inches wide ... ... 15 to 20 

Lucerne, broadcast ... ... ... ... ... 25 

Mangel Wurzel ... ... ... ... ... 6 

Onion, in drills .. .. .. ... ... 5 

Parsnip, in drills ... ... ... ... ... 4 to 6 

Badish, in drills 5 to 8 

Badish, broadcast ... ... ... ... ... 12 to 16 

Salsify, in drills ... ... ... ... ... 6 to 8 

Spinach 8 to 10 

Turnip and Rata Baga, broadcast ... ... ... H 

Turnip and Buta Baga, in drills ... ... ... 1 

Quarts. 

Beans, pole, in hills, 3| x 4... ... ... ... 8 to 12 

Corn, in hills ... ... ... ... ... .. 8 to 12 

Broom Corn, in hills .. . .. ... ... .. 10 to 12 

Millet, for seed ... ... ... ... 12 

Mustard, broadcast ... ... ... ... .. 12 

Sorghum, or Chinese Sugar Cane, in drills ... 2 to 3 

Sorghum, or Chinese Sugar Cane, broadcast ... 30 lbs. 

Bushels. 

Beans, bush, in drills 2| feet apart ... ... lj 

Corn, for fodder 3 to 4 

Barley, broadcast, ... ... ... ... ... 2 to 3 

Barley, in drills If to 2 

Buckwheat ... ... ... ... 1 to 1| 

Grass, lawn ... ... ... ... ... .. 2 to 3 

Millet, broadcast .. ... ... ... ... \ to f 

Oats 2 to 3 

Grass, orchard... ... ... ... ... ... 2 to 3 

Potatoes, in drills or hills, cut tubers ... ... 10 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 51 

Bushels. 

Potatoes, cut to single eyes ... ... ... ... 3 to 5 

Rape, broadcast ... ... . ... 15 lbs. | 

Rye, broadcast ... .. ... .. 1} to 2 

Rye Grass ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 

Sainfoine ... ... ... .. .. ... 3 

Timothy \ 

Vetches 2 to 3 

Wheat, broadcast ... ... .. ... ... 1J to 2 

Wheat, in drills £ to 1 



DESTRUCTION OF VERMIN INJU- 
RIOUS TO CULINARY CROPS. 



DESTRUCTION OF ANTS. 

Ants are very destructive to pot plants. Stand 
the plants in water until they are drowned. In the 
open ground they may be exterminated with boiling 
water applied to the hill at night, or a strong and hot 
solution of Gishurst Compound. A piece of fresh 
meat is a good trap : when well covered, scald them 
and set it again. 



DESTRUCTION OF APHIDES, &c. 

A Solution of Gishurst Compound, applied 
warm with a syringe after sunset, or on a dull day, is 
the best cure for Aphis, The quantity used may be 
two to four ounces of the Compound to a gallon of 
water, according to the plant operated upon. If too 
strong it is likely to injure the tender ends of shoots 
and young leaves. If the first application is not 



52 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



efficacious, apply a second dressing after the lapse of 
a few days. This solution is also a cure for American 
blight, green and black fly, red spider, thrip and 
brown scale, and is also the best agent known for 
thoroughly arresting the Oidium blight on the grape 
vine during the summer months. The best time and 
method of dressing for the destruction of insects in 
general is during July, after the winter pruning. The 
Gishurst may be used for this purpose at the rate of 
four to six ounces to the gallon of boiling water, and, 
when thoroughly dissolved and the liquid a little cooled, 
it should be applied by means of a brush to every 
part of the tree, especially where there are cracks or 
crevices. 



DESTRUCTION OF EARWIGS. 

Where earwigs annoy, place beanstalks, about a 
foot long, in the neighborhood they frequent every 
evening, and in the morning blow the earwigs through 
the stocks into a pail of boiling water. 



DESTRUCTION OF MICE. 

In positions where there would be no danger 
from poison, equal portions of arsenic and butter, 
made into a paste and spread on thin pieces of bread, 
may be laid about, and will prove very efficacious. 
Where poison is objected to, try the following : — Soak 
a few peas in water, and when fully soaked, draw a 
thread through one of them, with a needle, then place 
two little sticks in the ground, at the exact distance 
from each other of the breadth of a brick, tie the ends 
of the threads to the two sticks, leaving the pea in the 
middle, and then let the brick rest upon the thread. 
The mouse in devouring the pea will gnaw the thread, 
and the brick, losing its support, will fall upon the 
mouse and crush it. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



53 



DESTRUCTION OF SLUGS. 

Scatter cabbage leaves about at night ; the slugs 
will take shelter under them and may be destroyed next 
day. Dressing the land with salt and lime is also de- 
structive to these pests. 



WORMS IN PATHS, &c. 

Worms are often troublesome in lawns, garden 
paths, &c. Mix some lime and water, not very strong, 
and water the grass or gravel path with the mixture. 
The worms will soon appear at the top, when they may 
be destroyed. 



THE ORCHARD. 



THE ORCHARD. 



HERE is probably no country in the world 
capable of producing in perfection a greater 
variety of fruits than Queensland. Enjoying 
a climate ranging from that of Europe on the Downs, 
to the tropical temperature of Mackay, she may em- 
brace in her productions the English Gooseberry, 
Strawberry, Apple and Pear : and the Pineapple, 
Guava. and Mango. Next to the growth of Sugar, 
Cotton, Tobacco, and Coffee, this Colony is likely to 
excel in the abundance of its fruits : possessing such a 
variety of temperature and a fertile soil, it awaits only 
the skill and enterprise of man to transfer its stately 
forest into vineyards, orchards, and cornfields. Unlike 
the older colonies, here is a large local demand, almost 
wholly supplied by importations, and there can, there- 
fore, be no doubt as to finding a market for the pro- 
duce. 

The Orchard should be a feature in every farm. 
Every little homestead in the suburbs should have a few 
fruit trees of the best sorts, if only for the use of the 
household. Quite independent of the wholesomeness 
of good fruit in a warm climate (where, as a rule, too 
little vegetable food is consumed), it is wise to take 
some little trouble to surround the " horne : ' with such 
comforts and attractions as a few fruit trees and a neatly 
kept flower border. 

In all the directions which follow, it is pre-sup- 
posed that the land about to be planted has been 
cleared and trenched throughout to an uniform depth 




HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



57 



of two feet or two feet six inches, and has been 
drained at least six inches deeper than it is trenched. 
Some soils and situations do not require draining, but 
these are very rare — so rare, indeed, that external ap- 
pearance cannot be depended upon, and there is only 
one safe test. Persons are often deceived by a sloping 
surface, thinking that, because water cannot lie on it, 
there can be no need of drainage. If the roots of 
the trees grew on the ground they would be right j 
but as they are in the ground, and often at a con- 
siderable depth, we must dig into the soil to see that 
there is no water standing there. Many valuable trees 
are lost in a rainy season ; the wet season is blamed, 
but the loss arose from want of drainage. Few fruit 
trees will live long with their roots standing in water, 
and this is often the case without any being on the sur- 
face of the soil. The only way to obtain a satisfactory 
answer to the question, 

"Does my land require Draining?' 

is as follows : Immediately after a heavy and long 
continued rain, dig several holes three feet deep in 
the lowest parts of your trenched land. If in six hours 
after there is no water in the holes, your land does 
not require draining ; but it will more or less urgently 
need it in proportion to the quantity of water found 
there. 



TRANSPLANTING. 

All trees, whether deciduous or evergreen, are 
more safely transplanted while in a state of rest, and 
for this reason, partly, this operation is generally per- 
formed in the winter, when the former class of trees 
is denuded of its leaves. Evergreens should also be 
transplanted during winter, on account of evaporation 
being less rapid at that season. In all cases, calm, 



58 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



cloudy weather should be selected as the most favor- 
able, and the roots ought never to be exposed to the 
sun or wind for a moment. When trees have 
travelled any distance, and appear shrivelled, they 
should be carefully protected from the direct rays of 
the sun and high winds, and the bark be kept damp 
until they begin to grow • but, in doing so, see that 
they have sufficient light, and that the earth does not 
get too wet. Directions for planting will be found in 
the article on the apple. 



A TABLE 

Showing the Number of Plants an Acre of Land will 
contain. 



Feet 


No. of 




Feet 


Ko. of 


Feet 


No. of 


asunder. 


Plants. 




asunder. 


Plants. 




asunder. 


Plants. 


2 


10,890 






537 




20 


108 


3 


4,840 




10 


435 




21 


98 


4 


2,722 




12 


302 




25 


69 


5 


1,742 




15 


193 




30 


48 


8 


680 




18 


134 




35 


35 



Pule. — Multiply the distances into each other, and with 
the product divide 43,560 (the number of square feet in an 
acre), and the quotient is the number of plants. 



+ — _ 

THE HYBRIDIZATION OF 
PLANTS. 

This is a subject alike interesting to the amateur 
and the professional gardener. Its success depends 
upon facts so easily understood, and the results 
obtained by it have been so important, that every 
person possessing a garden should be acquainted 
with it. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



59 



The labors of Knight, Van Mons, and others, 
have secured to the world varieties of peaches, apples, 
pears, &c., as much surpassing the common sorts in 
excellence as the latter do the crab ; and hybridizing 
flowers is now so well understood by some persons, that 
with certain flowers they can produce any color they 
desire with almost the same precision as an artist mix- 
ing his paints. 

There are, no doubt, occasional examples of hybri 
dization in nature, by bees or other insects ■ and 
valuable sorts of fruit or flowers may thus be 
originated ; but the issue is altogether too uncertain. 
Ten thousand seedlings might be raised without obtain- 
ing a variety superior to the parent, and when it is 
sought to impart some new quality to a plant, it is 
unwise to depend upon chance, when, by bringing a 
little natural science to bear upon it, the result may be 
reduced to a comparative certainty. 

As the most likely and useful direction for expe- 
riments in hybridization in a new country will be in 
attempting to originate new and acclimatized varieties 
of the best sorts of fruic and vegetables, I will attempt 
to illustrate the mode of operation by small diagrams 
of the orange blossom. 

Most flowers are composed of the following parts, 
viz. : The calyx, which is usually green, and enveloping 
the flowers whilst in the bud ; the corolla or petals, 
leaves so beautifully colored, and so delicate in most 
flowers ; the stamens, or male portion of the flower, 
secreting the pollen or impregnating powder ; the 
pistilis or pointals, the female portion, impregnatable 
by the pollen, and rendering fertile the seeds ; and, 
lastly, the pericarp or seed vessel. 

In conducting experiments of this kind, it is well 
to know that in general the characters of the female 
parent predominate in the flowers and fruit, while the 
foliage and general constitution are mostly those of the 
male parent. 



60 



HOCKTXGS* GARDEN" MANUAL 




No. 1. No. 2. Xo. 3. 



When the blossom is as No. 1. quite developed, 
and on the point of expanding, open the leaves or 
petals with great care, and it will then appear as 
figure No. 2 : then remove with a small pair of sharp 
pointed scissors the whole of the stamens, leaving the 
pistil only, as in figure No. 3 : gently close the flower 
again, and screen it with muslin or otherwise from the 
approach of insects, and when it opens of itself shake 
the ripe pollen off the other tree over the pistil, care- 
fully exclude insects, and the seed in the fruit thus 
impregnated will produce the variety. 

There is not a fruit, grain, or vegetable growing 
in Queensland which is not susceptible of improve- 
ment and further acclimatization by this means. To 
those who have the time what could be more inter- 
esting than to attempt to give the English raspberry 
the productive and hardy habit of our wild raspberry. 
The writer has been informed that there exists a very 
superior variety of native raspberry on the seaboard 
between Brisbane and "Wide Bay, and a large and 
excellent native yam in the same part of the country, 
which might either be improved by cultivation, or 
used advantageously to hybridize the West Indian 
yam. it is believed that no attempt has yet been 
made to obtain a new variety of the English potatoe 
from seed, but there is no doubt that by perseverance 
a sort might be originated possessing characteristics 
peculiarly adaj ting it for cultivation in this climate. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



61 



The undoubted success of many English growers in 
raising, in this way, numerous hardy good sorts \ and 
of the Americans in originating the early rose, ought 
to afford sufficient encouragement. 

Time and space alike forbid proceeding with the 
subject further ; but it is hoped sufficient has been 
said to stimulate many persons to the pursuit of this 
most interesting study. 



THE AKEE TREE— (Blighia or Cupania Sapida). 

The Akee Tree is a native of Africa, and attains 
the height of 20 feet. The fruit, which is a pome, is 
borne in racemes in the same manner as the loquat. 
It is about the size of a goose's egg, of a reddish 
yellow colour, of a grateful subacid flavor, and much 
esteemed in the West Indies. 

It is propagated by seeds, layers, and cuttings ; 
and would be likely to prove a valuable addition to 
the Fruit Garden in tropical Queensland. 

THE ALLIGATOR OR AVOCADO PEAR-(Persea 
Gratissima). 

This tree grows to a large size. It is a native of 
the West Indies ; and the opinions of travellers as to 
the value of its fruit are very conflicting. It appears, 
however, to be highly appreciated by the residents in 
India, who eat it with the addition of wine, lime juice, 
<fec. The foliage is a beautiful deep green, and the 
fruit the size of a large pear. It is propagated by 
seeds. It has proved hardy in Brisbane, a tree in the 
Botanic Gardens bearing well. 



THE ALMOND. 

The Almond is indigenous to Barbary, China, 
and many other eastern countries within the latitude 
of 20° to 30°. 



62 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



Varieties: Soft Shell or Sultane, and the Jordan 
are the sorts most cultivated. Another sort, however, 
appears to deserve special attention in Queensland. It 
is named " pistache," after the pistache nut, which it 
resembles in shape and size. The fruit is smaller than 
the Sultana, being about 1 J inches long. The shell is 
tender, but not so easily broken between the fingers as 
the tender-shelled. The kernel is sweet and well 
flavored. It is highly esteemed in Provence and the 
southern departments of France, where alone it attains 
perfection. The climate of Paris is insufficient to 
bring it to full maturity • and, as it requires a very 
warm climate, it is well worth trying in some of the 
northern coast districts of this colony, which have 
proved too hot for the ordinary sorts. 

The oil obtained from the almond is of consider- 
able use in the arts, and our fair readers are ac- 
quainted with it under various names. Macassar oil 
is merely oil of almond colored red with alkanet root ; 
and the no less celebrated Russian oil is the same, 
rendered milky by a small quantity of ammonia or 
potash, and scented with oil of roses. Rowland's 
Lotion, Milk of Poses, Caledonian Cream, Kalydor, 
&c, are nothing but a solution of oxymuriate of 
mercury in almond emulsion, with a proportion of 
sugar of lead or white oxide of bismuth. 

Planting, <kc. : When convenient, it is better to 
transplant early in the season — April, or early in May; 
and, under ordinary circumstances, some young roots 
will be formed in their new position, which will enable 
the plant the better to withstand the effects of the dry 
hot spring weather so general in Brisbane. If the 
trees have to go any distance they should not be shifted 
until the fall of the leaf — May, June, or July. The 
pruning of standard almond trees will be the same as 
the peach, which it greatly resembles in its growth. 
The long straggling branches should be shortened, 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



63 



crowded or cross branches removed, and the tree kept 
open in the form of a cup. Plant twenty feet apart. 

The fruit should be allowed to remain on the tree 
until the rind becomes quite brown and the kernel 
firm and solid, when it may be gathered, divested of 
its outer coat, and then gradually dried until the shell 
becomes sufficiently hard. 



THE ANCHOVY PEAR— (Grias Cauliflora). 

The anchovy pear is a native of Jamaica, grow- 
ing in swampy places or shallow water, and attains the 
height of fifty feet. The leaves are oblong, and of two 
to three feet in length. The fruit is pickled and eaten 
like the mango, which it is said to resemble in flavor. 
It is propagated freely from the stones, and also from 
ripe cuttings. 



THE APPLE. 

The Apple is unquestionably the most valuable of 
European fruits, and may be cultivated with perfect 
success in the colder and more elevated parts of Queens- 
land. It has been found that many sorts well repay 
cultivation in the Brisbane district ; and others have 
been introduced which thrive in the Southern States 
of America and the south of Italy, and are now under 
experiment, with every prospect of success. Few 
fruits are easier of cultivation, and there are hundreds 
of acres in the positions indicated which might be 
planted with advantage, and from which the fruit 
might be forwarded by railway to supply the enormous 
demands of Ipswich and Brisbane, and thence by sea 
to the more tropical parts of Queensland. 

The cultivation of the apple is as yet so limited 
that there scarcely exists sufficient data upon which to 
base any selection of sorts to be recommended for 



64 



hockiisgs' garden manual. 



planting ; but a small and select list of sorts is 
appended, which, to the knowledge of the Author, have 
been proved suitable to the climate of Brisbane, and a 
few others of established reputation have been added 
for general cultivation. There are now, probably, over 
2,000 varieties of the Apple, but it is not desirable to 
grow many sorts in a plantation ; but rather select 
with great care a few which are known to thrive in a 
similar soil and climate ; each sort having some marked 
difference in season of ripening, or of quality, to re- 
commend it. The catalogues of local nurserymen afford 
ample scope for selection, and those should be preferred 
which resist American blight. 

Select List of Apples. 

Those marked thus * have been found productive 
in the Brisbane district, and might be tried with ad- 
vantage at Maryborough and Bockhampton. All the 
varieties are suitable for cultivation at Drayton, Too- 
woomba, Warwick, and other temperate districts of the 
Colony. 

* Blenheim Pippin : Syn., Blenheim Orange, Wood- 
stock Pippin. Size large, form roundish, color yellowish, 
stained with red on the sunny side ; stalk medium 
length ; eye open and very hollow ; flesh yellow ; flavor 
extremely pleasant • habit healthy and vigorous ; and 
hence does not produce fiuit while young, but is after- 
wards a great bearer ; merits — one of the best of our 
large table fruit. 

* Cox's Pomona : Size above medium ; skin yellow, 
streaked with crimson ; flesh white, tender, and 
pleasantly acid. A first-rate and very handsome culi- 
nary apple. Tree hardy. 

* Carolina Red June : Size below medium ; skin 
smooth, deep red to purple, covered with a light bloom ; 
flesh very white, tender, juicy, with a brisk sub-acid 
flavor. 



hoc kings' garden manual. 



CvMasaga : Size, medium or large ; skin, yellowish, 
striped with dark crimson ; flesh, yellowish, tender, 
juicy, mild, rich saccharine flavor. 

* French Russet: Size, above medium; flattish; color, 
greenish yellow, with russet marks, and deep red next 
the sun ; flesh, pale yellow \ flavor, aromatic, pleasant, 
and acid ; merit — a dessert fruit of the first class. 

*Gladney's Red : Size, below medium ; skin, smooth, 
deep red ; flesh, white, tender, pleasant sub-acid ; tree, 
prolific, producing the fruit in bunches. 

* Golden Russet : Size, small ; bearing in clusters ; 
firm, juicy, sub-acid ; tree, slender; prolific, 

Gravenstein : Size, large ; form, roundish ; color, 
yellowish green, streaked with red ; firm, crisp, and 
juicy; healthy, spreading tree, and good bearer. 

Hawthornden : Size, large ; color, pale green ; firm, 
juicy, sub-acid ; great bearer ; trees soon come into 
bearing. 

* blockings' Greening : Size, above medium ; color, 
green, sometimes slightly tinged with red ; flesh, white 
and firm ; juicy, sub-acid ; merit — a first-class kitchen 
apple ; good bearer ; resists American blight. 

^Hockings' Canva.de : Size, medium, round ; skin, 
deep crimson ; flesh, yellowish, crisp, juicy, perfumed, 
and pleasant sub-acid ; one of the very best table apples* 
The tree is most prolific. 

* Irish Peach: Size, medium; skin, smooth, yellowish 
green, dotted with brown, dull red next the sun ; flesh, 
white, tender, pleasant flavored. Tree healthy and 
productive ; resists American blight. 

*Juneating : Syn., early red Margaret; size, below 
medium, conical ; greenish yellow, striped with red ; 
flavor rich ; flesh tender ; good bearer. 

Mobbs Royal : Size, large, roundish, and flattened ; 
skin, yellowish, striped with red ; flesh, tender and 
agreeable ; tree healthy and productive. The tender 
ness of the texture of the fruit exposes it sometimes 
to the ravages of insects. 

F 



66 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



*Triomphe de Luxemhurgh : Size, large, roundish, 
and flattened ; skin, greenish yellow, bright red next 
the sun ; flesh, white, crisp, juicy, sub-acid ; tree, hardy 
and vigorous ; bears well. 

Winter Pearmain : Size, medium ; form, same as 
other pearmains ; color, green, slightly red next the 
sun ; stalk, short and slender ; eye, small j flesh, pale 
green ; habit, moderately robust ; good bearer. An 
excellent winter dessert fruit. 

Propagation of the Apple. 

The apple may be propagated by seeds, layers, cut- 
tings, budding, grafting, or suckers. 

Seeds : Propagation by seed is only resorted to for 
raising stocks upon which to graft known and approved 
kinds ; or with a view to originate a new sort posses- 
sing some desirable quality which does not exist in any 
cultivated variety. As the latter is the more impor- 
tant object, it demands a few words. The greater part 
of Queensland being physically unsuited to the growth 
of this fruit, there is ample scope for efforts at accli- 
matisation. There are wanted a few first-class varieties 
of apples which will produce good crops in this climate; 
and, from the results already gained by the Author, it 
is quite clear that this may be accomplished. The 
great danger in raising trees from seed is that the 
gardens may get crowded with worthless sorts ; as it is 
possible to raise a thousand seedlings and have only 
one or two worth preserving. All others should be 
eradicated. The most certain and scientific mode of 
raising new varieties has been described in the article 
on " Hybridization of Plants," to which the reader is 
referred. 

As, however, there are so few sorts of apples which 
will bear in the tropical parts of Queensland, it would 
be desirable to extend the experiment by sowing seed 
from the finest selected fruit of the most esteemed sorts 
which thrive in the neighboring colonies. As an 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



67 



inducement to patient perseverance, it should be re- 
membered that if the cultivator only obtains one really 
valuable apple, adapted to the wants of the country, it 
can be increased to thousands of trees of the identical 
kind by budding and grafting ; that it may thus exist 
to the end of time, extending the means of enjoyment 
to many generations, and probably form the basis of 
future experiments. 

The seeds should be sown as soon after they are ripe 
as possible ; the soil should be rich and light, and the 
situation damp, but well drained. Care is necessary to 
protect them from mice and slugs. In the following 
autumn they will be fit to plant out to stand for fruit : 
and for this purpose may be planted in similar soil, in 
rows eight feet apart each way. Williams, a successful 
cultivator of the apple, says he has found that such 
seedling apples as were allowed to retain their lateral or 
side shoots from the ground upwards, but so disposed 
that the foliage of the upper shoots may shade those 
under them as little as possible, came into bearing in 
one half the usual time required by those which were 
pruned to a naked stem. 

Soil and Situation : The chief thing to avoid is a wet 
bottom. The apple will adapt itself to a variety of 
soils and situations, but there should be no water stand- 
ing in the soil. A good loam two feet deep on a rocky, 
gravelly, sandy, or chalk bottom, in an open situation, 
would afford every prospect of success. 

Planting : The season for planting extends from the 
beginning of May to the end of August ; early planting 
to be preferred where practicable, and it should be done 
in calm, damp, but not rainy weather. Nothing can be 
more injurious to a tree than to have its roots exposed 
in dry, windy weather. 

Deep planting is an evil much to be guarded against. 
A good criterion is, to observe the depth the tree had 
previously stood in the nursery; be careful that this 
mark is at least three inches above the general surface 



68 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



of the soil when it is planted, and let the earth be 
heaped up to that height around it for a couple of feet 
or so, in the form of a little hillock. Trees of a larger 
size maybe rather more elevated. This applies to soils 
of the ordinary description ; but in damp soils the 
elevation should be still greater. In planting, the roots 
should be laid as flat as possible, radiating in all direc- 
tions from the stem. If any leaf mould or superior 
earth is available, it may be put in between and among 
the roots, beyond their circuit, and just above them, 
but not below. When it is proposed to add manure, 
it should be thoroughly decomposed by keeping twelve 
months previously ; it may then be mixed with an 
equal quantity of surface soil, and applied in the same 
manner, not under the roots. The distance for standard 
trees will be twenty to forty feet apart each way ; but 
dwarf standards may be much closer, according to the 
system of pruning pursued. 

Pruning : As the methods of pruning and training 
fruit trees are very numerous, it will not be possible to 
enter upon the subject in a mere handbook, but a few 
leading directions will be given. The trees should 
have a clear straight stem for three feet from the 
ground ; a well balanced head should be trained from 
this, consisting of four or five equal shoots in the form 
of a cup. At the winter pruning, these may be short- 
ened back two thirds of their length, and two young 
shoots allowed to grow from each, which may, in their 
turn, be cut back in the same manner. The pruning 
for the following two seasons may be confined chiefly 
to summer pruning, and will consist of pinching back 
the young lateral shoots as they appear, at half-an-inch 
to one inch long. This operation will have to be re- 
peated three or four times during the summer, according 
to the vigor of the trees ; and the only pruning neces- 
sary afterwards will consist of the winter examination 
for the lemoval of cross branches, the shortening of 
long straggling leaders, and keeping the centre of the 
tree open. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



69 



Diseases : Plant healthy trees in well-prepared, well- 
drained land, and they will not be troubled much with 
disease. If a tree gets wounded, or a large limb has 
to be cut off, trim the wood and bark smooth, and 
cover the part with a mixture of Stockholm tar and 
grease, 

When the American blight appears on apple trees 
it should be immediately exterminated, as it is most 
destructive if allowed to spread, which it will do very 
rapidly if its progress is not arrested. The blight is 
caused by an insect which pierces the bark of the tree, 
sucking the juice and causing wounds which ulcerate 
and corrode through all the sap-vessels, destroying the 
branch attacked. The presence of the insect is indi- 
cated by a quantity of cottony matter attached to the 
branches, which, on being touched, communicates to 
the finger a disgusting, chocolate-colored stain. The 
most diseased of the small branches should be neatly 
pruned off and burned. The older portions of the tree 
should have the blight scraped off with a piece of iron 
hoop, the earth being removed about the trunk of the 
tree, and all suckers carefully cut away close to their 
origin. The whole tree, especially the diseased parts, 
should then be scrubbed with a dandy brush, soaked in 
warm brine, having some potash or soda dissolved in 
it, taking care that all the crevices of the bark are 
thoroughly explored by the hairs of the brush. Some 
use warm lye, turpentine, ammoniacal liquor from the 
gas-works, and kerosine. The roots exposed to view, if 
diseased, should be treated in a similar manner. The 
ground all round the tree, as far as the roots are con- 
sidered to extend, should be soaked with strong drain- 
ings from a dung heap, to poison whatever insect life 
had escaped the brine, and to stimulate the roots of 
the tree to new and healthy growth. If the tree is 
old and the soil exhausted, the latter should be renewed, 
being replaced with charred rubbish, old turf, the 
clearings of a muck pit, &c. It has been recommended 



70 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



that the primings of grape vines be turned in at the 
roots of apple trees, as a cure for the American blight. 
The effect is doubtless produced by the potash contained 
in the cuttings. The chloride of lime wash, recom- 
mended for the scale on orange trees at the end of that 
chapter, is also an effective cure for the American 
blight and mildew. Salt applied to the soil is a pre- 
ventative of disease. 

Thinning : When trees have a large crop of fruit set, 
thin out a large proportion, while very small, or there 
will be.no fruit the following season. 

Manures : Lime and ashes are good special manures 
for the apple, to the extent of half-a-peck each, applied 
annually to each tree. The ashes should be applied 
when fresh burned, or the potash will be lost, which 
constitutes their chief value for this purpose. 



THE APRICOT. 

The native country of the apricot is not known, 
but it thrives in the south of Europe, in Egypt, Arabia, 
Japan, and China. 

As far as our present experience extends, the apricot 
grows to perfection on the elevated Downs and colder 
parts of the colony; but we have no sorts adapted for 
cultivation in tropical Queensland. Efforts should be 
made to introduce suitable varieties of this delicious 
fruit from Italy, Egypt, and Japan. 

Varieties, — The Moor park is considered the best 
for general purposes, and the Mignion and Pennant 
Hills Oval will probably bear in favorable positions in 
the vicinity of Brisbane. 

1 . Hemskirk — Size, medium, nearly round ; flesh, 
firm, clear deep orange; flavor, rich and delicate ; stone, 
small ; kernel, nearly sweet ; habit, early and hardy; 
excellent bearer. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



71 



2. Kiasha — Size, medium \ round ; flesh, tender ; 
sweet, and juicy ; kernel, sweet ; earlier than the 
Turkey. 

3. Lady Margaret — Size, medium ; round ; flesh, 
firm ; much resembles the Moorpark, of which it is 
probably a seedling. 

4. Mignion — Size, small; form, round; flesh, firm; 
color, dull yellow, with brownish red spots next the 
sun ; appears hardy, and indicates fruitfulness. De- 
serves a trial in Brisbane gardens. 

5. Moorpark — Size, large ; form, round ; flesh, deep 
orange, separating freely from the stone ; habit, strong 
and healthy in suitable positions ; flavor, excellent : 
ripens late. 

6. Orange (Royal J — Size, rather above medium; 
form, nearly round ; color, deep orange, tinged with 
red, except where shaded ; flesh, deep orange, firm, 
adhering to the stone ; flavor excellent ; stone small, 
smooth, thick in the middle ; kernel sweet ; habit 
healthy ; good bearer. 

7. Pale Superb — Supposed to be a Camden seedling. 
It is much esteemed in the southern colonies for the 
size, beauty, and delicate flavor of its fruit. 

8. Pennant Hills Oval — A seedling apricot, raised 
near Parramatta, New South Wales ; is hardy, fine 
flavored, and a good bearer. 

9. Turkey — Size, medium ; form, nearly round ; 
color, deep yellow, with many brownish spots next the 
sun; flesh firm, pale yellow; flavor agreeable; stone 
separating freely from the flesh ; kernel sweet ; ripens 
earlier than the Moorpark, but so gradually that it 
remains longer in perfection than any other apricot ; 
habit healthy ; leaves large. 

The Mush Mush (Italian) Peach, Shipley's, River's 
Large Red, Oulins, and other valuable sorts recently 
introduced, can now be obtained. 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



Propagation : The apricot is propagated by seed for 
obtaining new varieties, and by budding and grafting 
to multiply approved kinds. (See Peach.) 

Planting : The directions for planting are the same 
as already given for the apple, except that these may 
be planted closer — say sixteen feet to twenty feet 
apart. The soil should be rammed firm about the 
roots. 

Soil : A good sound loam, with a fair proportion of 
vegetable mould, resting on a well-drained sandy or 
chalky subsoil, would be suitable, especially if rich 
in lime. 

Pruning : If properly managed, the summer pruning 
would embrace nearly all that was requisite. This 
operation consists of rubbing off misplaced shoots, and 
stopping the lateral branches while tender. It should 
not be commenced until the tree is well out in leaf, 
and the first pruning should be light. Winter pruning 
should be avoided as much as possible, as the apricot 
does not readily heal or cover wounds, and the removal 
of large limbs frequently causes canker. 

Thinning the Fruit : Where the fruit sets well the 
crop should be gone over carefully and all superfluous 
fruit removed. It should not be nearer in any part of 
the tree than five inches asunder. A little care in 
thinning will be beneficial in two ways : large and 
better fruit will be produced, and the tree will not be 
exhausted. 



THE BANANA— (Musa Sapientum). 

The banana is one of the most wholesome and 
nourishing of fruits, and forms an important article of 
diet among the inhabitants of the numerous islands of 
the Pacific Ocean. 

It is not estimated in Queensland at its true value, 
where it is only used in its raw state. It may also be 
used in fritters, pies, preserves, or dried as figs • and a 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



73 



good wine is said to be made from it. The plant being 
hardy, its cultivation is much neglected ; and, after 
planting it in the roughest and most careless manner, 
it seldom receives much attention beyond gathering 
the fruit. It is a common practice, also, to cut the 
fruit before it is mature, and it, consequently, seldom 
has its proper flavor. The common banana (Musa 
Maculata J, when fully ripened on the tree, is so 
superior in flavor to those ordinarily sent to market 
(which are cut green and ripened in town), that a 
stranger tasting them would scarcely credit that they 
were the same variety. 

Propagation : The banana is increased from suckers 
which spring up around the old root. These are 
planted at about ten feet apart each way. Where 
space is an object, some crop might be grown between 
them the first season, w^hich would also pay for keeping 
them clean until they began to bear. 

Soil : A rich, unctuous, fibry loam, inclined to sand, 
will grow the banana to perfection, provided it is 
deep, thoroughly trenched, and well drained. A damp 
soil is not objectionable, but it should on no account 
be wet. To determine if the soil is wet, and requires 
draining, let holes be dug three feet deep in the lowest 
parts of the ground, after a week's continuous rain ; 
examine the holes the next day, and the ground may 
be considered more or less wet in proportion to the 
depth of water found in them. If they are free of 
water, the soil does not require drainage ; but if the 
water is within two feet of the surface, it should be 
drained before any further cultivation is attempted. 
The soil for bananas can scarcely be made too rich ; 
they should have a good top dressing of manure, and 
the surface be well forked over at least once a year ■ 
when the fruit is gathered, the old stems should be cut 
to the ground, and chopped up with the hoe into short 
lengths, and laid around the clump to rot down. 

The purple variety differs from all others at present 



74 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



in cultivation, as it does not succeed well on rich flats, 
but thrives admirably upon hill tops where the soil is 
good. 



THE BARBERRY— (Berberis Vulgaris). 

The barberry is a native of Europe, and only fit 
for cultivation in the coldest parts of this Colony. 

It is propagated by layers and suckers ; prefers a 
chalky or light dry soil, and requires little pruning. 
The plants should be eight feet apart. All suckers 
should be eradicated, and the head kept open. The 
fruit, when ripe, is gathered in bunches. 



THE BENGAL QUINCE-((Egle Marmelos). 

The Bengal quince is a native of the East Indies, 
growing in the form of a shrub, eight feet high. It is 
allied to the citron. The fruit is represented as 
delicious, as possessing valuable medicinal qualities, 
and it makes an excellent preserve. It was introduced 
by the Author from Calcutta, but has not yet fruited 
in Brisbane. 

It appears to require the same care and cultivation 
as the orange. 

In a paper written by Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, the 
following particulars are given : — 

" The tree producing the bael or bela fruit, valuable 
for its medicinal qualities, is the Cratceva Marmelos of 
Linnaeus, and the CEgle Marmelos of Correa. It 
grows plentifully in various parts of India, more par- 
ticularly about the Malabar and Coromandel districts ; 
it is also abundant in Ceylon, where it is known as the 
' Wood Apple,' and named Beli G-aha (gaha, signifying 
tree) by the Cingalese. A few words may be said on 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



75 



the generic name (Egle (a new genus formed from 
Cratoeva by Correa), which classical appellation was 
given to this tree by Correa, after one of the Hes- 
perides ; but now, from the well-known medicinal 
properties contained in nearly every part of the tree, 
it may be more appropriate to regard the name (Egle 
(signifying brightness or splendour) to have been given 
after one of the daughters of (Esculapius. The tree 
belongs to the natural family Aurantiaceoe. The fruit 
is about the size of an orange, generally round in 
form ; the rind is of a yellowish brown color, with a 
shade of dark green ; it is hard, and, when broken, 
the pulp is found surrounding the seeds, of a dark 
amber, varying to cherry red color ; very mucilaginous, 
and of an agreeable aromatic odor. One which I 
recently received, and was in a very fresh state, 
weighed a quarter of a pound. The bark of the root, 
the bark of the stem, the leaves, flowers, and fruit, are 
all used for medicinal purposes in India ; but the fruit 
is held most in estimation. It is only in the third 
edition of " Koyle's Materia Medica," published in 
1856, that a very short notice of the bael fruit was 
given ; but recently more attention has been bestowed 
upon it, and it has now obtained a place in the new 
British Pharmacopoeia of 1864, in which the fruit is 
described thus : ' Roundish, about the size of a large 
orange, with a hard woody rind : usually imported in 
dried slices, or in fragments consisting of portions of 
the rind and adherent dried pulp and seeds ; rind about 
a line and a half thick, covered with a smooth pale 
brown or greyish epidermis, and internally, as well as 
the dried pulp, brownish orange, or cherry red. The 
moistened pulp is mucilaginous.' The preparation 
ordered in the Pharmacopoeia is the liquid extract. 
The preparations of the bael fruit to be found in the 
shops of the apothecaries in Sydney are the liquid ex- 
tract, the confection, and the extract ; but I have been 
informed that the high price of the preparations of 



76 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



this drug imported from England has very materially 
limited the demand. This circumstance renders it 
still more desirable that every endeavour should be 
made to naturalize the tree in the warm districts of 
Australia; and, in the meantime, the fruit could be 
readily imported in a very fresh state from Ceylon 
(where the price for them is from three to five shillings 
the hundred), and the different preparations made in 
the colony at a much cheaper rate than those imported 
from Europe. The Dutch and Portuguese residents 
in Ceylon distil a fragrant cosmetic from the rind and 
blossom, called by them < Marmell Water.' Although 
the properties of the fruit have been mentioned by 
some author as astringent, it is really mildly aperient, 
and acts by removing the irritation of the mucous 
membrane of the stomach and bowels in diarrhoea and 
dysentery, and also obviates costiveness arising from 
debility. It has been regarded by some Italian prac- 
titioners as a valuable remedy in the scorbutic form of 
dysentery, and to succeed when all other remedies have 
failed. When the fresh and ripe fruit is used in 
Ceylon, it is at first slightly boiled, after which the 
rind is easily broken, and the pulp is eaten with a 
spoon. In a case of great irritation of the bowels, one 
was taken in that way every morning, and in about an 
hour relief was experienced, the disease diminishing 
daily, until the patient was quite recovered; at the 
same time a farinaceous diet was observed, at first 
without stimulants, and afterwards animal food with- 
out vegetables. It appears to act by removing the 
distressing straining, operating more gently even than 
olive oil. The fruit is also named, in some parts of 
India, 6 Bengal Quince.' In Calcutta the pulp of the 
fruit is mixed with water, and drank in that form, and 
some persons use the dried fruit grated, or in decoction, 
when the recent fruit cannot be obtained. The fruit 
also makes an excellent jelly, which has been found 
very serviceable to obviate costiveness." 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



77 



THE BRAZILIAN CHERRY— 

(Eugenia Unifolia). 

This hardy evergreen shrub is deserving of cultiva- 
tion, if only for ornament. Its deep green, shining 
leaves and compact habit, the young tender reddish 
brown shoots, and the profusion of white blossoms and 
bright red fruit, render it at all seasons a desirable plant 
for the shrubbery. The fruit has a resinous flavor 
when unripe, but afterwards acquires a sharp but 
pleasant acid, and is very juicy. It will probably be 
found valuable for preserving with other fruits. 

Propagation : It may be propagated freely from 
seed. 

Planting, Soil, <kc. : It may be planted during May, 
June, July, and August, at eight feet from plant to 
plant, and will thrive in any good garden soil. 



THE BRAZIL NUT-(Bertholletia Excelsa). 

The Brazil nut of commerce is well known ; but we 
have little information about the tree further than 
that it is a handsome evergreen, attaining one hundred 
feet in height, and requires a temperature similar to 
Brisbane. 

THE BREAD FRUIT— (Artoearpus Incisa). 

The bread fruit tree is a native of the South Sea 
Islands, and grows about forty feet high. The leaves 
are about two feet long, a*hd the fruit (which might 
with more propriety be called a vegetable) is about the 
size of a small water melon. The surface is uneven, 
like the netted rock melon \ the skin thin. It has a 
core running through the centre like a pine-apple. It 
is roasted before it is eaten ; and, for convenience of 



78 



hockings' garden manual. 



cooking, on account of its size, it is generally cut in 
half, or quartered. In color it is pure white, ranging 
to straw color, and in flavor and consistence it is mid- 
way between good new wheaten bread and sweet 
potato. When taken warm out of the native oven it 
is an extremely palatable food, and its wholesomeness is 
sufficiently attested by its general use. It grows freely 
from the root,, and is propagated by suckers, of which 
abundance may be obtained around the old trees. It 
is well worthy of introduction, and is likely to thrive 
in the tropical districts of the colony, if planted in rich 
soil and warm aspect. 



THE CAPE GOOSEBERRY- 

(Physalis Peruviana— Alkekengi). 

The plant is found growing wild in the scrubs in 
the vicinity of Brisbane, and many other parts of the 
colony. It is a rambling herbaceous plant, producing 
a profusion of fruit, which forms an excellent substi- 
tute for the gooseberry. In flavor it is agreeable, 
making a good pie fruit ; a very fine jelly is also pre- 
pared from it. 

The cultivation of this plant is identical with that 
of the tomato, which it much resembles in habit. 



THE CHERRY. 

The Cherry is not likely to prove of much value for 
cultivation in Queensland ; but in those districts where 
it will mature its fruit, it will be a very welcome addi- 
tion to the garden, in consequence of its ripening so 
early in the season. There are some good sorts, natives 
of the south of Italy, and, if they could be obtained 
trom there direct, or from the Southern States of Ame- 
rica, they might be found adapted to the climate of 
Brisbane. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



79 



Varieties. — The Ditke and Morello cherries are said 
to be more hardy than the Hearts and Biggareaus, and 
some of the white varieties less subject to the depreda- 
tions of birds than the red and black sorts. 

Propagation by seeds : The cherry may be grown 
from seed when it is desired to raise new varieties ; but, 
to effect this with any degree of certainty, artificial 
fecundation must take place. The late Mr. Knight 
was in this manner the originator of the following : 
Knight's Early Black (a hybrid between the Biggareau 
and May Duke), Black Eagle, Doivnton, Elton, Water- 
loo, &c, &c. " The cherry," Mr. Knight observes, 
" sports more extensively into varieties, when propagated 
from seeds, than any other fruit, and is, therefore, pro- 
bably capable of acquiring a higher state of perfection 
than it has ever yet attained. New varieties are also 
much wanted." 

Soil and situation : The soil can scarcely be too dry — 
in fact there are few soils sufficiently dry for this fruit. 

A good sandy loam on a dry, well drained subsoil, 
in an open, elevated position, free from fogs, will be 
found the most suitable. The fine Kentish cherry 
orchards are usually in a fine deep loam, incumbent on 
rock. 

Planting, pruning, &c. : The trees may be planted at 
twenty feet apart. The formation of the heads of 
young trees should be well attended to, and the 
pruning afterwards will be confined chiefly to thinning 
out crossed or crowded branches — severe pruning should 
be avoided— and all suckers should be carefullyremoved. 

Manure : The application of about eight pounds of 
salt to each full-grown tree is recommended as a surface 
dressing in the spring. 



THE CHESTNUT. 

The chestnut has never been much in favor as an 
orchard tree in the colonies, although, from its being a 



80 



HOCKTNGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



native of the south of Europe, there appears, as far as 
climate is concerned, every prospect of its being fruit- 
ful. The Author has been informed that a tree at 
Kangaroo Point bears fruit, and he has received fruit 
from a garden at Dalby. 

Planting : It may be planted on the outskirts of the 
orchard, in a sandy loam with a dry bottom, at a dis- 
tance of thirty feet apart — a dry subsoil is indispensable. 
It should not be planted near a residence, as the smell 
of the flowers is not agreeable. 

Priming , Sc. : The trees are allowed to make bushy 
heads, the irregular and overcrowded branches only 
being removed. 



THE CITRON-tCitrus Medica.) 

The citron is allied to the orange, to the article on 
which the reader is referred for more extended instruc- 
tion in its cultivation. 

The citron is an evergreen shrub, growing about eight 
feet high, and producing an abundance of fruit in any 
of the coast districts of the colony. 

It is used in sweetmeats and preserves, and the juice, 
with sugar and water, makes a wholesome and refresh- 
ing beverage. It is also used in perfumery, dyeing, 
and in medicine. 

It requires a free, rich soil, moist, but well drained, 
and is easily propagated by cuttings, layers, and suckers. 



THE COCOA-NUT--(Coeos Nusifera). 

The cocoa-nut palm grows by a single stem to the 
height of fifty feet. It is generally found growing on 
the sea beach surrounding the islands in the Pacific 
Ocean, and is converted by the natives to a variety of 
useful purposes. The green fruit is full of a delicious 
milk ; the nut, when ripe, is used for food and for 
making oil ; the shells make water bottles and d link- 
ing vessels ; the fibre covering the nut is made into 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



81 



cordage, matting, &c. ; the leaves of the tree are used 
for thatching their houses, and for torches when travel- 
ling by night, and the timber is valuable for building 
purposes. 

It grows naturally in sandy soil, a few feet above 
the sea level, and should be planted in a warm spot 
sheltered from the cold winter winds. Half a bushel 
of salt should be mixed with the soil in which it is 
planted, if it is away from the influence of salt water. 

At mauy points along the northern seaboard experi- 
mental plantings of the cocoa nut have been made, 
with most encouraging results; and there are, doubtless, 
many warm, sheltered spots on the southern coast and 
about Moreton Bay, where they might be grown with 
perfect success. It is scarcely possible to conceive a more 
deliriously refreshing beverage than the so-called milk 
of the green cocoa nut just plucked from the tree, as 
often enjoyed by the Author while travelling among 
the beautiful islands of the Pacific Ocean, in the years 
1845-6. 

All the products of the tree are so valuable, it bears 
so abundantly, and is so beautiful, that all who have 
suitable positions should plant some. The growing 
nuts are often obtainable in Brisbane at a low price. 

Cocoa-nuts are growing wild on the beach at Card- 
well, where they appear to have floated from the 
islands, and been cast on shore by the surf. At the Vale 
of Herbert there is a splendid clump planted, having 
every indication of health and vigor. This station is 
twenty or thirty miles inland ; and the owner has the 
cocoa nut trees occasionally dressed with salt, to com 
pensate for their absence from the sea shore, where they 
usually grow. At Mackay, Mr. F. Barnes has made 
the first large plantation of cocoa nut trees in Queens- 
land, consisting of about eight hundred trees ; and, as 
they stand at twenty feet apart, they cover an area of 
seven or eight acres. At the time of writing, the most 
of these had been planted four years ; some had been 

G 



82 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



planted five years, many of which were in fruit. The 
whole of them were in a most flourishing condition. 
In a garden near Rockhampton some trees are said bo 
be in bearing : and even so far south as Cleveland Point, 
Moreton Bay, there are some half-a-dozen trees, which 
appear to be healthy and strong ; and, although their 
growth is not so luxuriant and rapid as in more tropical 
climes, they have given very early promise of fruitf ill- 
ness. 

With the view of more thoroughly acclimatising this 
valuable tree, the fruit ripened at Mackay and Rock- 
hampton should be planted further south ; and the 
Author would be glad to procure some fruit ripened at 
Rockhampton for that purpose. The Government also 
would do well to have a few clumps of them planted in 
favorable positions on the southern coast islands — such 
as Frazer's, Stradbroke, and Moreton Islands. 



THE CRANBERRY. 

The cranberry is found wild in North America, the 
British Isles, and Madeira. 

The American and Madeira varieties are the most 
approved, and, in a suitable climate and soil, are 
extremely prolific. The soil should be damp and 
peaty, rich in vegetable matters, with a slight mixture 
of sand, and be situated on the margin of a pond or 
stream of water. 

It is easy of propagation ; it strikes readily from 
layers and cuttings ; the crop seldom fails, and, in 
favorable circumstances, a few square yards of ground 
will produce sufficient for a large family. 



THE CURRANT. 

The currant is a native of the northern parts of 
Europe, and can, therefore, only be cultivated with 
success in the coldest districts of this colony. 



HOOKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



83 



Propagation : Cuttings should be taken early in the 
autumn, while the leaves are on. Cut off all the buds 
except three or four at the top ; insert the cuttings 
about half way in the mould, in rows one foot apart, 
and train one clear stem a foot high, from which four 
or five branches may be allowed to radiate at an angle 
of 40 or 45 degrees. The young wood only is used for 
this purpose. 

Soil and Site : Any good garden soil, well manured, 
will suit the currant. The black currant prefers a 
damp, rich loam, rather shaded. They should be from 
five to ten feet asunder, and have a southern or eastern 
aspect if possible. 



THE CUSTARD APPLE — ( Anona Reticulata). 

The custard apple and the cherimoya (Anona 
Cherimolia) have long been in our gardens, and have 
borne fruit for many years. Some other varieties have 
recently been introduced, and are being tested. The 
former are evergreen shrubs, growing to the height of 
about fifteen feet, and producing fruit on the previous 
year's wood. The fruit is about the size of an apple, 
and consists of a shell enclosing a soft, rich, agreeable 
pulp resembling custard, in which the seeds are em- 
bedded. 

Planting : They may be planted from May to 
August, at fifteen feet apart, aud trees which have been 
transplanted at the nursery should be procured if pos- 
sible, as the roots are not naturally fibrous, and there 
is, consequently, great risk of their failure. Frequent 
transplanting while young encourages the formation of 
fibrous roots ; and such plants can be removed to a dis- 
tance with far greater safety than such as have only a 
long tap root. 

Soil : The soil should be friable, rich, and well 
drained. Lime is said to be a good special manure. 



84 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Propagation : They may all be propagated by seeds, 
layers, cuttings, and grafting. The former is the most 
general, and the latter is adopted for increasing approved 
sorts. 



THE DATE PALM— (Phoenix Dactylifera). 

The date palm attains the height of forty feet. It 
is perfectly hardy in the climate of Brisbane, and grows 
very freely from the seed. It takes ten or twelve 
years to arrive at maturity, and should be planted in 
clumps or clusters, to make sure of having among them 
at least one male plant, to fertilise the fruit blossoms, 
which would otherwise be unproductive. 

In Persia they allot fifty female to two male plants, 
and, as soon as the pollen is ripe, commence to impreg- 
nate with the latter the blossoms of the former : 
alleging that their proximity is not sufficient to insure 
the production of fruit. 

The first Queensland dates seen by the Author were 
grown at Gladstone, about the year 1849, and sent to 
him by Sir Maurice (then Captain) O'Connell. They 
are now less uncommon ; and, at the time of writing 
(March, 1875), there is a tree in Edward Street, Bris- 
bane, loaded with a fair crop. It is to be feared, 
however, that the sure means of acclimatisation have 
not always been kept in view, and that the seeds so 
ripened have not been carefully re-sown for further 
experiment. A superior sort, known as the Tafilat 
date, imported by Mr. J. Smith Travers, of Hobart 
Town, was intrusted by him to Mr. Walter Hill for 
distribution here, in October, 1870, and, no doubt, 
many plants from that seed are now under experiment. 
The Author has three in his grounds, which are doing 
well. 

Any good garden soil will suit the date. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



85 



THE DATE PLUM-(Diospyros Kaki). 

The date plum grows and bears well in the neigh- 
borhood of Brisbane. There are several varieties of 
Diospyros producing edible fruit which have not yet 
been introduced; and the Diospyros Ebenus is the ebony 
of commerce. 

The date plum may be propagated by seeds, layers, 
or cuttings. A rich, damp loam is suitable, and the 
plants (which grow about fifteen feet high) may be 
placed at eighteen feet apart. The only pruning neces- 
sary is, to clear the suckers and undergrowth, and to 
keep the centre of the tree open. 

The tree is deciduous. Transplant from May to 
August, 



THE DURION— (Durio Zibethinus). 

The durion is a native of the East Indies, and 
grows to the height of sixty feet. The fruit is pro- 
duced in bunches, and when ripe has a most powerful 
and unpleasant odour, somewhat resembling rotten 
onions, which offensive smell infects the breath of the 
person eating it. The fruit is very large, sometimes 
being the size of a man's head ; the edible part is of a 
creamy substance, and of so delicate a flavor that it is 
stated to be " one of the most delicious productions of 
nature and that " when a person has once accus- 
tomed himself to eat the fruit, he generally considers 
it the most excellent of all." 



THE FIG— (Fieus Carica), 

The fig is one of the oldest known fruits ; and in 
many parts of the old world has, from the earliest ages, 
been used as a highly valued article of food. The 



86 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



foliage is said to exercise a very calming and soothing 
influence on the mind ; and some authors, while urg- 
ing that every man should " sit under his own fig tree," 
particularly recommend that those who have unruly 
tongues, or hasty tempers, should have a fig tree under 
which they could sit for a quarter of an hour when 
they feel an unkindly impulse. 

Varieties : The sorts found most suitable to the 
climate of Brisbane are the Turkey, Smyrna, Giant, 
and Province. 

Propagation : All the sorts may be propagated freely 
by cuttings, layers, and suckers ; they may also be 
grown from seed. 

Planting, soil, &c. : The Giant fig requires twenty- 
five feet, but the other sorts may be planted at fifteen 
feet apart. The soil should be rich, dry, and warm. 
In a wet soil the growth will be too luxuriant, and not 
fruitful ; and in a poor sand the fruit is liable to crack 
and be shed before it is mature. In Smyrna, where 
the fig is grown to great perfection and dried for ex- 
portation, great care is taken to keep the ground well 
worked around the roots. 

Pruning, <kc. : After the formation of a good open 
head, very little pruning will be required. There are 
generally two crops in the season : one crop coming out 
with the first leaves in spring, and the second crop 
showing at every joint of the new shoots. 

The fruit is rich and saccharine when gathered ripe 
from the tree, and the latter quality is much developed 
in the process of drying. This operation is effected by 
exposing the fruit for a certain time to a current of hot 
air, by which it is thoroughly heated through, and the 
vegetable principle destroyed. Before the fruit is cold 
it is pressed down tight into drums, and the juice is 
forced to the surface of the skin, where it candies into 
a sugary dust, 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



87 



THE FILBERT- (Corylus Avellana). 

The filbert grows in the form of a shrub or small 
tree to the height of ten feet, but under a thorough 
system of cultivation seldom exceeds six feet. In 
Kent, England, where it grows more extensively than 
in any other part, the average yield of nuts is about 
five bushels per acre, the crop generally failing three 
seasons out of five. The male and female blossoms 
are formed separate on the same plant ; the male is the 
well-known catkin, and the female resembles a small 
brush, of a pinkish or pale red color. In many cases 
the trees are unfruitful in consequence of there being 
an insufficiency of catkins to fertilize the fruitbearing 
blossoms. 

Propagation : The filbert may be propagated by 
seeds, cuttings, layers, and suckers ; the two latter 
modes being the most in use. 

Planting, soil, &c. : They may be planted in winter 
at ten feet apart, or in alternate rows with larger grow- 
ing trees, allowing sufficient additional space. They 
will thrive in any good garden soil naturally rather 
damp, but well drained. The aspect should be cool 
(southerly) \ and they are only likely to succeed in the 
coldest parts of the colony. 

Training, pruning, die. : The plants should be al- 
lowed to grow to a single stem, unchecked, for the 
first season • and. in winter, if they are strong, cut 
back to one foot from the ground. In the spring, see 
that about eight shoots are provided, which train into 
an open head the shape of a cup, carefully removing 
all suckers and other shoots below those forming the 
head. If the plant is not strong enough to furnish a 
good head the second year, the shoots must be cut 
back the following winter to two buds from their 
origin, taking care to cut back to am outside bud, to 
keep the head open; and from the shoots thence 



88 



HOCKTXGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



springing: select sufficient to form the plant as directed. 
If it does not take the required form, it may be neces- 
sary to fix a small hoop in it, tying the branches 
round the edge until fixed. The after cultivation 
consists of shortening back the strong leading shoots, 
at the winter pruning, about one-third or half, accord- 
ing to their strength ; removing all cross or over- 
crowded shoots : pruning most of the lateral or side 
branches (especially in the centre of the tree) back to 
two or three buds, to force out fruit-bearing spurs at 
intervals all up the leading branches \ and keeping 
down all suckers. 



THE FLACOURTIA— (Flacourtia Catapbracta). 

The flacourtia is a small evergreen tree, growing 
to the height of ten feet. It is a native of the East 
Indies, and perfectly hardy in Brisbane, where it 
produces its fruit (a small dark purple berry) in great 
profusion. 

Being covered with a vast number of long thorns it 
is well calculated for a hedge plant, as it would, if 
properly trained while young, resist with equal success 
the attacks of both men and cattle. In its tinripe 
state the fruit is astringent, and in taste somewhat 
resembles the wild sloe, but as it gets ripe it becomes 
a little mealy and of a very agreeable flavor. It ripens 
during April and May. 

Propagation. &c. : It may be propagated by seeds, 
layers, and cuttings, the former being the most ready 
method. It may be planted in any average good soil, 
at ten feet intervals, and with very little trouble will 
form a handsome shrub ; the foliage being a dark green, 
and the young shoots a reddish brown, the effect is 
very good. 

There are other varieties which are said to produce 
larger fruit, but they are not sufficiently known to war- 
rant an opinion as to their quality and productiveness. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



89 



THE GOOSEBERRY— (Ribes Grossularia). 

The gooseberry is a native of the northern parts of 
Europe, and. therefore, unfit for cultivation in any but 
the coldest districts of this colony, and there only in 
carefully selected positions. 

All the sorts may be propagated by cuttings, layers, 
and seed. 

Soil : A deep sandy loam is preferable, but they 
will do in any ordinary soil with manure. The situa- 
tion should be unshaded by trees, and drained of all 
stagnant water. They should be irrigated with liquid 
manure in the growing season. A good top-dressing 
of manure should be forked in round the bushes an- 
nually, but not nearer to the stem than the circuit of 
the branches. 

Winter Pruning consists in removing suckers, and all 
over luxuriant growth ■ and crowded and very weak 
shoots should at least be shortened, so as to leave the 
bush the shape of a basin for the first few years, to 
admit the sun and air to ripen the fruit inside. The 
wood left to form the plant should be strong, but not 
over luxuriant, and well ripened ; and no two branches 
should be allowed to touch. Plant in rows, eight feet 
asunder, and six feet apart in the line. 



THE GRANADILLA— (Passiflora Quadrangularis). 

This variety of the passion fruit has a square stem, 
as the name indicates. The fruit is the largest of the 
family, being the size of the rock melon. The skin is 
soft and very thick, totally different from the common 
passion fruit ( passiflora edulis), or a yellow sort (pas- 
siflora liyularis J, which is sometimes erroneously called 
the granadilla. 



90 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



The true granadilla is prolific and hardy. The fruit 
agreeable in flavor, and sufficiently distinct to make it 
worth growing as a variety. In habit it is less robust 
than passiflora edulis ; it makes its growth chiefly in 
autumn, and the fruit ripens in winter and early spring. 
The blossoms are very large and handsome, and appear 
during March and April. 

A rich peaty soil, moist but not wet, would be the 
most suitable. Any ordinary open soil with manure 
would, however, grow it to perfection. 

It may be propagated by seeds, layers, and cuttings. 

If planted to run on an espalier, the roots should 
be ten to fifteen feet apart, and the branches carefully 
secured to the rails by woollen bands, to support the 
heavy fruit. 

The passiflora decasneana (or small granadilla) is 
similar in foliage, but much more robust in habit. It 
seldom bears fruit unless the blossoms are artificially 
fertilised, when the produce is very great. The fruit 
is about two-thirds the size of the granadilla, the flavor 
very agreeable, and the plant being large and hand- 
some, it would be useful for covering rough fences and 
other unsightly objects. 

A gigantic variety, bearing fruit six pounds in weight, 
may now be seen at the Brisbane Botanic Garden. 
As Mr. Hill speaks well of its productiveness, and the 
quality of the fruit, it is likely to prove a desirable 
acquisition. 



THE GRAPE VINE-(Vitis Vinifera). 

The grape vine is subjected to a larger amount of 
mismanagement than any other fruit-bearing plant. 
Every grower has some theory of his own ; and it is 
probable that a colonial vineyard left in succession to 
six different professed vine-growers, would be mis- 
managed by five out of the number. As this little 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



91 



book is not intended for the instruction of those who 
already know how to cultivate the grape, it is not 
proposed to discuss the relative value of the different 
acknowledged systems of training ; and the limited 
space will prevent their being even described ; but 

the principle upon 
which the ojDera- 
tions should be 
conducted, and the 
simplest method of 
accomplishing the 
desired object (i.e. 
moderate succes- 
sive crops of good 
grapes), will alone 
be sought to be elu- 
cidated in the few 
brief directions 
here given . 

Varieties : Out of upwards of ninety sorts grown by 
the Author, the Black Hamburg is decidedly the best 
black grape for Brisbane, and the Sweet Water the besc 
white. Six or eight good sorts, ripening in succession, 
will generally be found sufficient for all the purposes 
of a private garden, and a few of the most hardy and 
prolific are here described, for general planting. It 
has not been thought desirable to mention wine grapes, 
as varieties which produce excellent wine, grown in 
certain soils and positions, will not show similar results 
under other circumstances ; and persons about to plant 
vineyards for wine-making, will do well to test several 
sorts of grapes before they determine of which their 
plantation is chiefly to consist. 

1. Black Cluster (Pineau Noir) — Bunches, small, 
shouldered ; berries, small, round, and very compact on 
the bunch, so that they do not all get thoroughly colored; 
flavor, good when quite ripe ; an abundant bearer, but 
of little value as a table fruit on account of the insig- 




92 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



nificant size of the berries. It is valuable as a wine 
grape. 

2. Black Hamburg (Red Hamburg, Black Lisbon, 
<kc.) — Bunches, large and long ; berries, round and 
large ; color, rich dark purple ; flesh, rather firm, rich, 
sugary, and delicious ; habit, robust and prolific under 
favorable conditions. The best black grape for the 
Brisbane district, and probably the most useful grape 
in cultivation. Experiments have proved it to be a 
good stock upon which to graft the more tender mus- 
cats. 

3. Black Prince, — Bunches, large and long \ berries, 
very large, oval, and mostly set loose ; color, dark 
purple, with fine bloom next the sun — greenish purple 
where shaded ; skin, thin, and in wet weather very 
liable to decay ; habit, moderate free grower \ crop, 
rather uncertain, and in some seasons liable to blight ; 
flavor, only medium; but in appearance the most hand- 
some of all grapes. 

4. Isabella (American) — Bunches, medium; berries, 
above medium and oval ; flesh, firm, and adhering to 
the seed until perfectly ripe, musky, vinous, rich, and 
sweet ; ripens unequally in some positions and seasons, 
and the ripe berries fall off the bunch ; very prolific 
and hardy; resists the oidium. 

5. Lombardy (Flame- tokay, Wantage) — Bunches, 
very large and handsome; berries, large, round to oval; 
flesh, tender, sweet, pleasant flavor ; quality, second- 
rate ; a vigorous grower and abundant bearer. 

6. Parsley-leaf Muscadine (Ciotatj — Bunches and 
berries similar to the White Muscadine ; a good early 
grape, but in some very hot seasons the fruit suffers 
from the foliage not affording it sufficient protection. 

7. White Muscadine — Bunches, shouldered, medium 
size, and handsome ; berries, round, rather large, and 
loosely set, allowing them to get perfectly ripe ; skin, 
thin, and if exposed to the sun turning a pale yellow ; 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



93 



an excellent, early grape, hardy, prolific, and of a rich, 
fine flavor. This is commonly sold under the name of 
Sweetwater. 

8. White Sweetioater — Bunches, medium ; berries, 
large, round, and grow close on the bunches ; not so 
transparent as the Muscadine ; flesh, firmer ; skin, thin, 
and when exposed to the sun and fully ripe, pretty 
thickly dotted with light russet spots ; pulp, very juicy 
and luscious. This delicious grape is the best white 
variety for growing near Brisbane in ordinary seasons ; 
but it is sometimes attacked with blight, and may be 
considered less hardy than the muscadine. 

The Muscatels, Frontignans, and other choice table 
grapes are to be found in our gardens, and are adapted 
for planting in the cooler parts of the colony, but are 
too tender for general cultivation. 

Many indigenous and hybrid American grapes have 
of late years been introduced by M»r. J. G. Cribb, of 
Brisbane, among which some will, doubtless, be found 
which will be valuable acquisitions. Greater vigor of 
constitution will enable them to withstand the extremes 
of our climate better than the more tender European 
sorts ; and their new shades of color, their new flavors, 
extended season of ripening, great productiveness, and 
comparative immunity from disease, unite to recom- 
mend them for extended cultivation, as soon as they 
are procurable for general planting. 

Among those which have thus far given fair promise, 
the following maybe mentioned : — Goethe, Maxatavmey, 
Delaviare, Iona, Catawba, Anna, Lindly, Salem, 
Rogers' 2, Rogers' 12, Allen's, Adirondiac, V/ilder, 
Requa, Israella, and Creveling. 

For the Brisbane district and northern towns it 
would be desirable to introduce some of the best sorts 
from Greece, Southern Italy, &c, and more of the 
American sorts which thrive in the Southern States. 

Soil, dec. : The vine will grow most luxuriantly in a 
deep, well drained, rich, friable mould, but will adapt 



94 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



itself and thrive moderately well in a greater variety 
of soils and situations than almost any other fruit tree. 
In selecting a site for a vineyard, a cool aspect should 
have the preference in the warmer parts of the colony, 
and the soil (not too heavy) should either be on a 
porous subsoil or so situated as to admit of thorough 
underground drainage. Some red loams are excellent 
for grapes, and a fair proportion of small stones in a 
soil would be no disadvantage. The plantation or bor- 
der should be trenched to an uniform depth of two feet 
six inches, or certainly not less than two feet, and 
drained at least six inches deeper than it is trenched, if 
the soil requires draining, which can be ascertained in 
the manner previously indicated. Deep cultivation 
and a porous subsoil, or thorough drainage, are the 
indispensable conditions of permanent success in vine- 
growing. 

Some of the early planted vineyards in Melbourne 
were made in conformity with the recommendations 
contained in the Government Prize Essay on the sub- 
ject — the land was only prepared by being ploughed. 
The folly of such mismanagement soon became manifest 
by the miserable appearance and decreasing production 
of such plantations. For the first few years after 
planting all went well, and there was abundant promise 
of future returns ; but as soon as the roots reached the 
undisturbed soil, and the vines had attained an age at 
which a full crop was to be expected, they began to 
languish, the produce decreased, and it became evident 
that one acre of vineyard properly trenched and drained 
was more valuable than ten acres ploughed in. 

One-year-old rooted plants should be obtained where 
practicable ; they should be placed in the soil at the 
same depth they had previously been in the nursery, 
and at distances according to the mode of pruning and 
training intended to be adopted. If for close pruning, 
and training to single posts, they may be planted four 
feet by six feet apart, or six feet by eight ; but, if for 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



95 



training to espaliers, more space must be allowed, ac- 
cording to their height. If planted eight feet by ten, 
about 430 plants would be required for an acre. 

Manure : Lime, ashes, and bone dust are good special 
manures for the vine, and the plantation should have a 
top-dressing of salt every spring (before the plants bud 
out), at the rate of about two cwt. per acre. 

If there is any appearance of disease in the fruit, a 
dressing of flour of sulphur, applied with a common 
dredging box, in the morning while the dew is on, will 
often be found efficacious. 

Oidium : The foregoing directions, founded upon the 
practice of the most successful and enlightened 
vignerons of France, were given in the first edition of 
the Manual in 1856, before the oiclium had made its 
appearance here. Since that time, much, very much 
has been written upon the subject, but apparently 
without adding anything to the above, as sulphur is 
still the most approved dressing for the oidium. Ano- 
ther favorite application is composed of 40 lbs. of fine 
ashes of wood (which have not been exposed to rain), 
20 lbs. of flowers of sulphur, and 10 lbs. of lime, 
thoroughly mixed, and either dusted over the vines as 
previously recommended, or blown over them through 
the sulphuring bellows. 

Chloride of lime, soft soap, and sulphur, prepared as 
directed for the diseases of the orange, and similarly 
applied, in the spring, before the fruit has stoned, will 
also be found effective. 

Training, pruning, &c. : All the various systems of 
training have for their object the production every 
season of the largest quantity of first-class fruit, on the 
smallest space, consistent with the continued vigor of 
the plant. The vine has a tendency to make new 
growths from the end of the previous year's shoots ; 
and, if allowed to extend itself unchecked, would only 
bear at the extremities, leaving the largest part of the 
vine without foliage or fruit. The skill of the culti- 



96 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



vator is exhibited in reducing this rambling habit ; and, 
by high cultivation and judicious pruning, obtaining 
fruit of improved quality and most abundant in quan- 
tity within the radius of a few feet from the stem. 
To effect this, the greater part of the wood produced 
each summer is pruned away in the winter, by which 
the vine is renewed every year on almost the same spot, 
its vigor is maintained unimpaired, and every branch 
produces fruit. It is impossible to lay down any rule 
for pruning vines which will suit 'all alike, as the 
different sorts vary much in habit, and even individual 
plants of the same sort will differ in constitutional 
strength. As among a family of children, some will 
need encouraging and some repressing : so in the vine- 
yard, the intelligent pruner will learn to distinguish 
the individual characteristics of his vines, and modify 
his pruning to suit them. Mr. Hoare, a standard 
authority on this subject, after trying many experi- 
ments, came to the conclusion that the bearing capa- 
bility of the vine was in proportion to the girth of its 
stem just above the surface of the ground ; and states 
that no plant should be allowed to ripen fruit until its 
stem is three inches in circumference, when it should 
be limited to five pounds weight- (about ten bunches), 
which may be increased by a further five pounds for 
each additional half inch, as the stem grows. It is 
important to remember that the vine should not be 
allowed to bear until the second or third year after it 
is planted out ; and that all the bunches which appear 
before that time should be carefully removed ; for every 
pound of grapes, produced under such circumstances, 
will so overtask the plant as to cause the future loss of 
from twenty to forty pounds of fruit. 

The young vines when planted should be cut back, 
leaving only one bud on small plants, and not more 
than two on the strong ones. The following season the 
former may be cut down to two eyes, and may then 
be treated as recommended by Downing, which mode 



bookings' garden manual. 



97 



of training is figured at the commencement of this 
article : — 

" The two buds left on the set are allowed to form 
two upright shoots the next summer, which, at the end 
of the season, are brought down to a horizontal posi- 
tion, and fastened each way to the lower horizontal rail 
of the trellis, being shortened to three or four feet, or 
such a distance each way as it is wished to have the 
plant extend. The next year upright shoots are 
allowed to grow one foot apart, and these are stopped 
at the top of the trellis. The third year, the trellis 
being filled with vines, a set of lateral shoots will be 
produced from the upright leaders, with from one to 
three bunches on each. The vine is now perfect, and 
it is only necessary at the autumnal or winter pruning 
to cut back the lateral shoots or fruit spurs to within 
an inch of the uprights, and new laterals, producing 
fruit, will annually supply their places. If it should 
be found, after several years' bearing, that the grapes 
fail in size or flavor, the vines should be cut down 
to the main horizontal shoots at the bottom of the trellis. 
New uprights will be produced, which treat as before." 

In following the above directions, it must be observed 
that unless the vines are in full vigor it will be unwise 
to leave the two long shoots the first season. Unless 
very strong, they should each be pruned back to two 
eyes, from which select the following season the strongest 
shoots to train in as directed. As to the fruit, also, it 
will be necessary to prevent the vines over bearing the 
first few seasons, by removing the surplus bunches as 
they appear. 

In all operations connected with the vine, see that 
the foliage is not injured, and in the summer pruning 
do not remove a leaf unnecessarily. The summer 
pruning consists of destroying all suckers, stopping 
with the thumb and finger the shoots three leaves 
beyond the last bunch of fruit, to forward the swelling, 
and removing or stopping all lateral branches. 

H 



98 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



To prepare currants and raisins, see " Fruit Dry- 
ing." 



THE GUAVA "(Psidium Cattleyanum). 

Evergreen shrubs bearing white flowers, and fruit 
of various sizes, forms, and colors. We have six sorts 
in our gardens, of which the Purple or Caitley's, the 
Large Yellow or Ugg 9 and the Green guava, are the 
most prolific, and best adapted for general planting. 
They require a rich soil — moist, but not wet; they may 
be propagated by seeds, cuttings, and layers, and may 
be planted at from ten to twenty feet apart, according 
to the sort. They are used for dessert, and make an 
exquisite jelly. The large egg guava is considered by 
some persons to be much improved by baking, Time 
for transplanting, April to August. 



HERBERT VALE CHERRY- 

(Antidesma Dallachyanum). 

This is a handsome, umbrageous, evergreen tree, 
growing to the height of thirty or forty feet, and is 
found growing in alluvial soil on the banks of the 
Herbert River, Dalrymple Gap, and other places near 
Card well. The foliage is ovate-oblong, from three to 
six inches long, and the branches are very brittle. The 
fruit, which is borne in great profusion, on racemes 
about four to six inches in length, resembles in its 
appearance the Biggaru Cherry. It is about one inch 
in diameter ; the skin is white to yellow, tinted and 
splashed with red ; the flesh is juicy, with a sprightly, 
agreeable, acid flavor, it is reddish in color, and adheres 
to the stone \ the latter is in form a disc, being 
thickest in the centre, where it is nearly a quarter of 
an inch thick. Mr. F. M. Bailey, who brought plants 
from the Herbert River for the Acclimatisation Society, 



HOCKIXGS" GARDEN' MANUAL. 



99 



speaks very highly of the merits of this fruit, and con- 
siders it worthy of cultivation wherever the climate 
may be found suitable : and states that an excellent 
jelly is made from it. From his description of it, this 
must be by far the most valuable indigenous fruit yet 
discovered in Queensland. 



THE HOVENIA DULCIS, 

A deciduous tree of slender habit from Japan, 
growing to the height of twenty feet. It blooms in 
November, and the fruit is about two inches long, very 
narrow, twisted, and irregular. The flavor somewhat 
resembles an apple. It can never be of any commer- 
cial value, but is worth growing in private gardens of 
any size. It may be propagated by seed, layers, and 
cuttings ; it is hardy, and grows freely. 



THE JACK FRUIT— (Artocarpus Integrifolia). 

This handsome evergreen tree is allied to the Bread 
Fruit, to the article upon which the reader is referred 
for its propagation and management. It appears per- 
fectly hardy in Brisbane, producing, in the Botanic 
Gardens, a profusion of its enormous, rough, green- 
skinned fruit. This consists of a number of divisions 
of yellow pulp of an agreeable flavor, in the midst of 
each of which is embedded a seed about the size of a 
plum. The pulp is eaten in its raw state, and is used 
in curries ; and the seeds, which have the flavor of 
beans, are boiled and used at table as vegetables. 



JUBE-JUBE— (Zizyphus Ju-juba). 

This quick-growing evergreen tree is known also as 
the Torres Straits plum, and is called in China " Ung- 
chaw." It is indigenous in China and in the Straits ; 



100 



HOCKIXGS 5 GARDEN MANUAL. 



and in the former country the fruit is dried and forms 
an article of commerce. The foliage is a pale gre<m, 
and the fruit, which is a drupe, is produced in abundance 
in its native countries. The tree has been largely 
planted in some of the northern coast towns for shade, 
in consequence of its rapid growth, and it there proves 
fairly productive ; but in the Brisbane district it has 
not hitherto been very fruitful. The fruit . varies 
much in quality, some being more agreeable in flavor 
than others ; and this may be taken as a conclusive 
indication that it is susceptible of improvement by 
judicious selection. 



THE LEECHEE AND THE LONGAN- 

(Nephelium Litchi and Nephelium Longana). 

These are evergreen fruit trees with compound 
leaves, natives of China, Japan, and the East Indies. 
The latter has been fruited by the Author at Brisbane 
for many years. The blossom, which is insignificant, 
appeared in long spikes during October and November, 
and the fruit ripened in March following. It is white, 
semi-transparent, slightly glutinous, sweet, pleasant in 
flavor, and covered outside with a thin, tough, brown 
skin or shell. The fruit of the leech ee is dried, and 
exported from China in large quantities, and is much 
esteemed. The trees grow from fifteen to twenty feet 
in height, and may be propagated by seeds, layers, and 
cuttings. The leechee is now procurable, and will be 
largely planted. Two plants have borne fruit in Bris- 
bane. 



THE LISBON LEMON AND THE WEST INDIA 
LIME. 

These plants ( Citrus Limonum and Citrus Limetta ) 
are closely allied to the orange ; the cultivation and 
management are the same. (See orange). 



HOC KINGS 



GARDEN MANUAL. 



101 



The refreshing acid juice of the former is applied to 
a variety of useful purposes, aud the rind is preserved 
and imported under the name of " candied peel." The 
tree grows to the height of fifteen feet. 

In India, where the lime attains perfection, the juice 
is thought more agreeable than that of the lemon, and 
it is used squeezed over fish and meat, imparting to 
them a pleasant zest. The lime juice of commerce, so 
favorably known for its cooling and anti-scorbutic pro- 
perties, is prepared from this fruit. The tree grows 
to the height of eight feet. 

They may both be propagated by seeds, layers, and 
cuttings, but the most usual course is to graft or bud 
them on common stocks. 



THE LOQUAT— (Eriobotrya Japcmica). 

A handsome evergreen tree, growing to the height 
of fifteen feet. It is the earliest of spring fruits, and 
the abundance of long racemes of bright yellow fruit, 
bending the branches in graceful curves, relieved by a 
background of lar^e, dark green leaves, renders the 
tree a conspicuous and ornamental obj ect. It is a native 
of Japan, as the name indicates, and is perfectly hardy 
in this climate. 

It may be propagated by seeds, layers, suckers, and 
cuttings ; and may be dwarfed by grafting upon the 
quince, to which it is allied. 

It has been found to bear larger crops of superior 
fruit when planted in well-trenched ridge land (hilly, 
rather stony, forest land) than when planted in scrub 
soil. 

The trees may be planted twenty feet apart. Prick 
in with the fork a light top-dressing of well rotted 
manure annually, as soon as the fruit is gathered. 
Thin out straggling and inside branches, when necessary, 
to keep the tree open. Watch the fruit as it ripens, 



102 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



or the birds will gather the whole crop. It blossoms 
in Brisbane in February for the first crop, which ripens 
in June. 



THE MAMMEE APPLE— (Mammea Americana). 

The rnarnmee is a tall, handsome, evergreen tree, 
attaining the height of sixty feet, with shining, thick, 
oval leaves. The fruit is called the wild apricot, from 
its resemblance to that fruit ; it is round, of about the 
size of an egg, and is said to be so fine in flavor as to 
rival the mangosteen. The tree is tolerably hardy; 
requires a fibry, sandy loam, well drained ; and may be 
propagated by seeds, layers, and cuttings. It is a native 
of the West Indies and South Africa. 



THE MANGO— (Mangifera Indieal 

The mango is a rather quick-growing umbrageous 
tree, rising to the height of twenty feet, the large, 
shining, green leaves of which emit a sweet, resinous 
smell. The flowers are white, and appear in long 
spikes at the extremity of the branches. The fruit 
varies much in size and quality, and is consumed ex- 
tensively in India in every possible form ; it is kidney 
shaped, has a soft, smooth, resinous skin, pale green, 
yellow, or red. When ripe it is delicious, slightly 
resembling an apple, but more juicy, and merits a pro- 
minent place in all gardens in tropical Queensland. 
A moderate degree of cold will not injure it ; but the 
Author had a fine plant about seven feet high (which he 
had received from Calcutta in 1853) destroyed by frost. 
Other valuable sorts, however, received from Mauri- 
tius, Java, and Bombay, are now in bearing. It is 
frequently planted in India, as an act of piety, to afford 
shade, for which purpose its beautiful leaves, seven or 
eight inches long, render it particularly suitable. The 



blockings' garden manual. 



103 



unripe fruit pickled is an article of export ; and in 
India a large trade is carried on in the young green 
fruit, dried in the sun, it being a favorite condiment for 
curries. 

The fruit should not be left on the tree until it is 
fully ripe, as it is liable to fall and get bruised ; but 
should be gathered when mature, and beginning to 
change color \ and, being carefully packed in clean, dry 
straw, should be left until quite ripe, and the fine flavor 
and aroma fully developed, which would be in about 
ten days or a fortnight. This quality in the mango 
will enable growers at the northern ports to ship this 
delicious fruit, when it becomes more plentiful, to Bris- 
bane. Sydney, and Melbourne, And the command of 
such large and remunerative markets ought to induce 
the general planting of this beautiful and valuable tree. 
It produces fruit at about three years of age, when 
raised from seed. The only way to ensure having good 
sorts is to obtain layered or grafted plants from fruit 
bearing trees of approved quality. The seedlings some- 
times turn out well, but more frequently they are 
inferior or worthless. 

It may be propagated by cuttings, layers, and grafts. 

A rich, peaty loam is the most suitable, and it is very 
sensitive to a retentive soil or stagnant water. 

The seeds do not retain their vegetative powers for 
any length of time, but must be sown directly they are 
gathered, when they germinate very freely. 

The timber is extensively used in India, and is ap- 
plied to all the usual purposes of the fir in Europe. 



THE MANGOSTEEN— (Garcinia Mangostana). 

This tree is allied to the Mammee ; it grows in a 
most beautiful and regular form to the height of twenty 
feet, with a taper stem, having branches on all sides 



104 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



extending like a fir. It is an evergreen tree, with 
oval leaves about seven inches long. The fruit is about 
the size and shape of an orange, and is divided inside 
in the same manner, having an outside covering like 
the shell of the pomegranate. It consists of a " soft, 
juicy pulp, of a delicious flavor, partaking of the straw- 
berry and the grape, and is esteemed one of the richest 
fruits in the world." Dr. Garcia, an eastern traveller, 
from whom the tree is named, says ( Phil. Trans.) " it 
is esteemed the most delicious of the East India fruits ; 
and a great deal of it may be eaten without any incon- 
venience ; it is the only fruit which sick people are 
alio wed to eat without scruple. It is given with safety 
in almost every disorder • and we are told that Dr. 
Solander, in the last stage of a putrid fever in Batavia, 
found himself insensibly recovering by sucking this 
delicious and refreshing fruit. The pulp has a most 
happy mixture of the tart and sweet, and is no less 
salutary than pleasant." 

Soil, propagation, &c, the same as the mammee. 



MATINGCLA PLUM-(Arduina Bispinosa). 

The fruit of a thorny, evergreen shrub, having 
handsome, shining leaves. It grows hereto the height 
of seven or eight feet, and bears white, perfumed 
flowers, resembling the jasmine, throughout the spring 
and summer. 

It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it 
has a summer temperatare of 60° to 65°, and does not 
often bear fruit in the higher temperature of Brisbane. 
The fruit has the form of a plum ; it is about two 
inches long, and one inch in diameter, and is full of 
small seeds. 

It is propagated by seeds, cuttings, and layers, and 
it thrives best in a sandy loam. 



BOOKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



105 



THE MEDLAR— (Mespilus Germaniea). 

The medlar is only adapted for private gardens, as 
the fruit is not considered fit for use until it begins to 
decay. 

The culture is similar to the apple, which see. Soil, 
loamy, but well drained. 



THE MULBERRY— (Moras Nigra). 

The Black or English mulberry is the sort most 
esteemed for the quality of its fruit ; but an inferior 
variety, known as the Cape mulberry, is the most 
generally cultivated, as it is more hardy and prolific. 
The mulberry is an ornamental tree, easy of cultiva- 
tion, producing an abundance of wholesome fruit early 
in spring. It is said that the fruit does not undergo 
the acetous fermentation, and is therefore a proper fruit 
for those affected with gout and rheumatic diseases to 
indulge in ; it is cooling and rather laxative. An ex- 
cellent jam maybe prepared from the English mulberry; 
a palatable domestic wine may also be made from it ; 
and a syrup is obtained from the unripe berries, useful 
in cases of ulcerated sore throats. u The root of the 
tree has an acrid, bitter taste, and has been used, it is 
said, with great advantage, in cases of worms, particu- 
larly the tape worm." — M'lhtosh. 

The Morus Alba and Morus Alba Multicaulis, 
Chinese varieties of the mulberry, have been recom- 
mended for feeding silkworms, in consequence of their 
luxuriant growth, and their leaves being very large and 
tender. Silkworms so fed are said to yield silk 
superior both in quantity and quality. Some worms 
reared by the Author, usually fed upon the Cape mul- 
berry, were offered some of the Chinese leaves with 
the others, but would not eat them. This incident is 



106 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN" MANUAL. 



only mentioned to induce a fair trial of the different 
sorts for silk culture, and is not intended as a proof 
of the superiority of the sort used ; but it may be 
found that the worms thrive here on a variety of mul- 
berry not so well adapted for their food in a different 
climate. A small-leafed mulberry is used in Italy for 
this purpose, and if silk culture is ever carried on 
here to any extent, it may be found desirable to intro- 
duce it. 

Propagation : The mulberry may be propagated by 
seeds, cuttings, grafting, budding, layers, or suckers. 
The first is only used when it is either desired to raise 
stocks upon which to bud or graft known sorts, or to 
obtain new varieties. Cuttings one foot long, inserted 
ten inches in a damp, sandy loam, will strike readily 
and grow with great rapidity. 

Planting, soil, dkc. : The mulberry is often planted 
on a lawn, that the fruit as it ripens may not be in- 
jured when it falls. Berries falling without damage 
are superior to those gathered. The trees should be 
twenty feet apart ; and the soil most suitable for them 
is a deep, rich, sandy loam, damp, but not wet. There 
must be no stagnant water in the soil. 

Prvming : All crossed and crowded branches should 
be removed at the winter pruning, and all straggling 
shoots shortened one-third or one-half, according to 
their strength. 

Manure ■: If grass covers the soil under the trees, a 
liberal supply of liquid manure -should be given every 
autumn ; but if cultivated, a dressing of solid manure 
should be turned in lightly with a fork. 



THE NECTARINE. 

The nectaiine is classed by most English and 
French gardeners along with peaches ; and considered 
merely a smooth-skinned variety. It is, however, 



HOCKTNGS' GARDEX MANUAL. 



107 



sufficiently distinct in flavor and appearance to com- 
mand a place in every garden, where the climate is 
suitable. Hitherto its cultivation has been found 
remunerative only in the colder parts of the colony; 
and the growers in the vicinity of Brisbane and the 
northern ports have been unable to produce this 
delicious fruit. It will require time to prove whether 
it is capable of acclimatization ; but, from the success 
which has resulted from similar experiments with the 
peach, the Author has every confidence in the ulti- 
mate issue of his present attempt to acclimatize the 
nectarine. 

At the present time all the finest sorts grown in 
England and France are m our gardens, including the 
sweet-kerneled Syrian variety, the Stanwick. 

The soil, cultivation, &c., required for the nectarine 
being similar to the peach, the reader is referred to the 
article on that fruit for further information. 



THE OLIVE— (Olea Europa). 

The value of the olive for manufacturing purposes 
is so great that no apology is needed for its introduction 
here. It is an evergreen tree, rising twenty to thirty 
feet in height, hardy, and easy of propagation. There 
are numerous varieties, but most of the best sorts are 
obtainable in the colony. 

Propagation : This is effected by seeds, layers, cut- 
tings, and roots ; and the latter method is generally 
preferred. 

Soil, &c. : The olive is most prolific in a dry, stony, 
calcareous, or sandy soil, and could therefore be planted 
profitably where few other fruits would be remunera- 
tive. It grows luxuriantly in a rich soil, producing 
abundance of wood but little fruit, and, like all oil 
crops, it impoverishes the soil, which should be well 
manured every third year. 



108 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



Planting \ &c. : Some authorities recommend the 
trees to be planted ten feet apart, trained to a single 
stem for five or six feet, and then to form the head. 
The ripe fruit is bruised between stones which do not 
crush the kernel \ the pulp is put into rush bags and 
gently pressed to obtain " Virgin Oil," and is after- 
wards pressed a second and third time to obtain oil of 
other qualities. It deposits a white, fibrous, and albu- 
minous matter, and may then be drawn off into clear 
glass flasks. 

The value of the crop and the longevity of the tree 
unite to recommend it for general purposes of shade 
or shelter. Enquiry is often made for suitable trees to 
plant, singly or in clumps, either as shade for stock, 
or for landscape effect, on large, naked areas : and this 
tree appears well suited for the purpose. It would 
also be valuable, both for shelter and profit, if planted 
as a breakwind on the boundaries of runs and large 
plantations. 

Since the foregoing article appeared in the first 
edition of this work, a pamphlet on " The Olive and 
its Products" by Mr. L. A. Bernays, one of the Vice- 
Presidents of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society, 
has been issued from the Government Printing Office ; 
and all who propose to cultivate the tree for commer- 
cial purposes should consult its pages for much valuable 
information as to the progress of the industry in the 
southern colonies, and for useful diagrams illustrating 
the cultivation of the tree, the extraction of the oil. kc. 



THE ORANGE— (Citrus Aurantium). 

The orange is an evergreen tree, growing to the 
height of twenty feet, and often attaining a great age. 
At Versailles, it is said, there are orange trees over 400 
years old. It is a native of the temperate zone, and 
will probably not thrive very far north, unless on 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



109 



elevated country or in cold aspects. The pure white, 
odorous blossoms are produced in great abundance in 
spring, attracting the bees from all directions to pre- 
pare from them their choicest honey. The old trees 
frequently bloom at intervals throughout the year ; 
and it is no uncommon thing to see ripe and green 
fruit and blossoms on the same tree at one time. 

The orange is used with advantage in fevers ] it is 
also manufactured into marmalade, and the rind, when 
prepared, is known as candied peel. The Seville orange 
is esteemed as preferable for medicinal purposes ; and 
it is from the highly odoriferous flowers of this kind 
that the orange flower water is distilled. The outer 
part of the rind is a grateful, warm, aromatic bitter, 
often used as a stomachic and corroborant. Seville 
oranges also produce the best marmalade and the 
richest wine, and, preserved whole, are a fine sweet- 
meat, and are justly admired. 

It is to be regretted that so little success has hitherto 
attended the cultivation of this valuable fruit in Queens- 
land, possessing as it does a climate at least as favorable 
for its growth as New South Wales. The inducements 
to renewed efforts are very great, as — in addition to the 
large home consumption, which at present necessitates 
its importation to the extent of several thousand pounds 
sterling per annum — it is a fruit capable of being ex- 
ported, and there is likely to be a good market in the 
northern ports for many years. 

In the majority of instances this want of success 
appears attributable to the nature of the plant not 
being understood, and thus it has been put in places 
where it could not possibly thrive. 

To insure the profitable cultivation of the orange, 
two facts must be kept prominently in view : first — 
that a small quantity of water in the soil will rot the 
bark off its roots, and cause the tree to sicken and die 
back ; and second — that the most important of the 
roots are "surface roots."' The extreme tenderness of 



110 



HOOKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



the bark of the root indicates that no soil is fit for its 
growth which will retain water, bnt should he free and 
open at all seasons, allowing the rain to percolate 
freely through and away from the roots almost as fast 
as it falls. 

In the year 1868, Mr. C. Moore, the curator of the 
Botanic Gardens in Sydney, was sent by the Govern- 
ment of New South Wales to visit the orange countries 
in the old world, to inspect and report upon orange culti- 
vation generally, but with special regard to the diseases 
of the tree and their cure. Much valuable information 
was collected at that time, and we will endeavor to 
summarise from that and other trustworthy sources, a 
few hints as to the nature and requirements of the tree, 
which the orange-grower will do well to note. 

In the Azores, some of the best trees are produced 
from seed selected from trees which are robust and 
prolific, and bear fruit of choice quality; but they are 
longer coming into bearing than grafted trees. The 
trees worked upon citrons and lemons were the first to 
be attacked with a destructive disease called "tears, 77 
or the exuding of sap near the bottom of the stem. 
The seedlings also suffered ; but those worked upon 
Seville orange stocks were least affected. The cure was 
to strip and expose the surface roots for a short time, 
to cut out the bark, wood, and roots effected, and to 
drain the land. The sooty fungus was cured by wash- 
ing with lime water. 

The soil in the Azores is of volcanic origin, being 
a good, friable loam, plentifully intermixed with stones 
and rocks. The most favorable position for an orangery 
is the side of a hill, and the aspect facing the rising 
sun. 

Analysis of the ash of the orange tree and fruit 
gives a very large proportion of potash and phosphate 
of lime. Fresh wood ashes, especially of mangroves 
and other trees known to yield much potash, should, 
therefore, be mixed with bone-dust and applied to them 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Ill 



as a special manure, carefully pricked in with a fork — - 
particularly for sickly trees. Other suitable manures 
are sea weeds, bone manure, and animal refuse, stable 
dung, and lime. Lupins are grown in the orchards, 
and turned in as a green manure. The trees are pruned 
annually, to thin out crowded branches. The superior 
quality of the fruit arises from the age of the trees ; 
the fruit gradually improves with the age of the trees. 

In Egypt and other countries, the mandarin oranges, 
budded upon the Seville stock, form quick-growing 
and fine trees ; but, when worked on the shaddock, they 
bear fruit of very superior flavor. 

The Bahama Islands and some districts in Jamaica are 
celebrated for the delicious sweetness of the oranges 
thev produce. The islands and districts referred to 
are formed of calcareous or limestone rocks, and this 
indicates the necessity for lime in the soil. 

Many young trees, grafted from the choicest orange 
trees in the countries visited by Mr. Moore, were in- 
troduced by him on his return to New South Wales, 
and were entrusted to Mr. Pye, of Rocky Hall, near 
Parramatta, that they might have the advantage of his 
skill and experience. Grafts from the most robust of 
these have been distributed, and the Author secured 
young trees of the six best sorts. 

Varieties : The sorts which have hitherto proved 
most hardy in Brisbane district are — the Emperor 
Mandarin, Canton Mandarin, Sabina, Siletta, Saint 
MichaeVs, Parramatta, and Poor Man. 

Propagation : It may be propagated from seeds, 
grafts, budding, or layers. The former method is only 
resorted to for the purpose of raising stocks upon 
which to graft approved varieties, or to obtain new 
sorts. When the latter is intended, the seeds should 
be taken from fruit gathered from the topmost branches 
of lofty old trees, heavy and compact, with rich, fine- 
flavored juice, and thin skin. 



112 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



Planting, soil, dec. : It is presupposed that the soil 
is thoroughly trenched to' the depth of two feet six 
inches before planting, and that, if draining is requisite, 
the whole space has been drained at least six inches 
deeper than it has been trenched. The trenching should 
be done some months before planting time if practicable, 
as the texture of the soil gets greatly improved by the 
action of the atmosphere. Where the trenching has 
been faithfully performed, it will be desirable, when 
digging out the holes in which to plant the trees, not 
to disturb the earth too deep, or else when it sinks 
down the tree will be taken too far below the surface. 
The holes should be dug to suit each tree, so that it is 
not set deeper in the soil than it stood in thenursery ; and 
if the earth is rough, or for other reasons it is deemed 
prudent to cover the roots with a greater depth 
of earth, it should be brought round the tree in the 
form of a mound, or it may be supplied as a mulching. 
On planting, the roots should be spread out parallel 
with the surface, and radiating from the stem to all 
points \ and, if the earth is not naturally fine and of 
good quality, some first-class mould should be provided 
to place in immediate contact with the roots, filling 
up the interstices, and covering them, gently pressing 
it down. The trees may be sixteen to twenty-five feet 
apart. 

Digging should never be permitted nearer the trees 
than the tips of the outside branches, as the roots are 
on the surface, and, if injured, the branches will die 
back. 

Some successful growers use the knife very freely 
upon young trees, at the winter pruning, with good 
results. The tree, while young, appears liable to out- 
grow its strength, and the long unripened shoots pro- 
duced one year die back the next, leaving it in a 
debilitated state, a ready prey for disease. Observing 
this tendency, it should be the object of the intelligent 
cultivator to assist nature, by reducing all long, strag- 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



113 



gling shoots, and removing neatly all superfluous ones, 
especially where there is any appearance of exhaustion. 
In such cases, one-third of the previous year's wood 
may be removed. Trim all the wounds neatly, and 
apply liquid manure to the roots at the same time. 

The necessity for this mutilation would be obviated 
by a proper attention to summer pruning, which con- 
sists of nipping off" the ends of all over-luxuriant 
shoots, and rubbing off all those which are not required, 
as soon as they appear. No wounds are left by this 
treatment, and the same end is attained. 

Some young plants seem preternaturally prolific, and 
come out in a mass of blossoms, with scarcely any 
foliage. Where this occurs, every blossom bud should 
be carefully removed, and the tree well watered with 
liquid manure. 

The orange should not be exposed to high winds, as, 
in a state of nature, it grows under the shelter of larger 
trees. An abundant supply of water is also a deside- 
ratum ; and so necessary is this considered in orange 
growing countries, that the first step towards planting 
an orange grove is to provide for an ample supply of 
water for irrigation. The lower branches should be 
trained so as to protect the roots from the sun without 
touching the ground. 

A light mulching of well-rotted cow dung, with a 
little sheep or fowl dung, may be laid round the circuit 
of the stem, to the extent of one foot beyond the 
longest branches, about one inch thick. A lighter 
dressing of the same material may be added at the 
spring and fall, extending the circuit as the tree in- 
creases in circumference, and never allowing this part 
to be dug. 

Diseases : The orange is subject to attacks from the 
coccus or scale insect, the aphis, and a black blight like 
smut. These scarcely ever appear on trees in mode- 
rately good ground, trenched and drained, where water 
is supplied in seasons of drought. The most effectual 

I 



114 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



application yet discovered is Gishurst Compound, which 
seldom fails. It has been used with the best results 
by several growers near Brisbane. Two ounces of the 
Compound to one gallon of boiling water is applied 
with a syringe when it is quite dissolved, and the 
liquor partly cooled, so as not to injure the young 
leaves. In ISTew South Wales, some growers rub them 
off with a sponge dipped in warm soap and water. 
The following treatment has been very successfully 
adopted in the northern districts for the cure of the scale 
and other diseases of orange trees : — Take one tablespoon- 
ful of soft soap, thoroughly dissolve it in one gallon of 
hot water \ add one tablespoonful of flowers of sulphur, 
and boil ten minutes ; then add one tablespoonful of 
chloride of lime, and mix thoroughly. Add one gallon 
of water to each gallon of the liquid, and in the evening 
syringe the affected trees over head with it while as hot 
as the hand can bear. This compound is said not to 
injure the foliage, to effectually destroy scale and fungus, 
and to impart increased health and vigor to the tree. 
The removal of dead wood, and a liberal dressing of 
manure forked in at the roots at the same time, would 
tend still more to secure a satisfactory result. 



PAPAW APPLE— (Carica Papaya). 

The papaw tree is highly ornamental, partaking of 
the character of the palm tribe. It frequently rises 
with a single stem to the height of twenty feet, carry- 
ing a cluster of its handsome, deeply serrated leaves 
near the top, the leaf stalks being about three feet in 
length. The effect is very striking, and is sure to 
arrest the attention of those to whom the wonders of 
tropical vegetation are new. The blossom of the female 
fruit-bearing tree is abundant, and beautiful ; in color 
it is a greenish white, and the odor is delightful. The 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



116 



fruit is about the size of a rock melon, which it re- 
sembles somewhat in appearance and flavor. As they 
are mostly raised from seed, the quality of the fruit 
varies considerably; but the choice sorts rank high, 
and are eaten raw and boiled, pickled and preserved. 
If any part of the leaf, stem, or green fruit be punc- 
tured with a needle, the white milky sap flows out 
freely ; and if a couple of drops be put into a cup of 
milk, it will very shortly be transformed into curds 
and whey. It is also stated that a few drops of the 
sap, or part of a leaf, put into the pot with an old 
fowl, it will boil quite tender, or that the same effect 
may be produced by hangiug tough meat of any kind 
for a few hours among its leaves. Care must, however, 
be taken not to use too much sap, or allow the meat 
to hang too long, or decomposition will set in. The 
sap is also said to be a cure for ringworm. Some 
growers convert the fruit into jam, adding one- third 
the quantity of citron. 



THE PASSION FRUIT-(PassifloraEdulis). 

The passion fruit is so well known that it needs no 
description. It is hardy, prolific, of agreeable flavor, 
and wholesome, and should have a few yards of espalier 
devoted to it in all gardens. 

For cultivation, <fca, see " Granadilla," to which it is 
allied. 



THE PEACH— (Amygdalus Persica). 

The peach is a native of the temperate zone, now in 
course of acclimatization in the latitude of Brisbane, 
Many valuable sorts have been raised or introduced to 



116 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



public notice by the Author, during the last twenty- 
seven years ; some of them equal to the wall-grown 
peaches of England. Such results should induce ex- 
tended experiments, and the issue would, doubtless, be 
the acclimatisation of this and other fruits through the 
medium of seed, giving life to new sorts — natives of 
the climate — which, while possessing most of the good 
qualities of the parent, would prove hardy and pro- 
ductive in a clime in which the parent was unfruitful. 
The same course was adopted in America, by which 
some of the most valuable apples now in cultivation 
were originated. In growing seedlings, however, one 
point should be kept steadfastly in view, namely: on 
the tree fruiting, if it does not prove superior in some 
particular to what was possessed before, cut it down — 
do not be satisfied unless some advance has been gained, 
or else the ground will be filled with worthless varieties. 
A hundred trees may stand for fruit, and not one prove 
worth saving as a new variety. 

The peach is grown extensively in America for dry- 
ing, for making brandy, and for feeding pigs. The 
wood of the tree produces the color called rose pink ; 
and the leaves boiled in milk will, it is said, destroy 
worms in young children. The drying is performed 
thus : a small room, in which an oven is provided, is 
fitted up with drawers round the sides, lathed at the 
bottom ) each tier of drawers has an interval between. 
The peaches (which should be ripe) are cut in two and 
laid in single layers on the laths, with the skins down- 
wards, to save the juice. They are soon dried by the 
air of the stove. See also " Drying Fruits." 

Varieties : The following are a few of the choicest 
English, French, and New South Wales peaches, 
suitable for cultivation in New England, N .S.W. , Darling 
Downs, and other parts of Queensland of a similar 
temperature : — Noblesse, Royal George, Mignonne, Ro- 
man, Royal Kensington, Camden Eozcelleni, Camden 
Large Red, Bell's Freestone, and numerous others. In 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



117 



sheltered situations, in the same localities, we would 
recommend the following to be tried on account of 
their early ripening : — Flat China, Common China, and 
Double Blossom China. 

For the neighborhood of Brisbane, Ipswich, Mary- 
borough, and the nothern districts, the Flat China is 
the peach most especially adapted, as it is a slipstone 
peach of good flavor, and ripens so early as generally 
to escape the worm, which sometimes destroys the late 
sorts. The following successional varieties should be 
found in every collection ; their merits in this climate 
can scarcely be over-estimated : — 

Hocking s' Swentoa : Size, medium ; flavor, good ; 
freestone ; flesh, white, pink next the stone, juicy, and 
rich ; very prolific ; ripens at Christmas. This peach 
is a decided advance upon those previously possessed, 
as it has the agreeable flavor of the Persian peach, and 
is free from the peculiar acidity and bitterness which 
characterise the common round China peaches. It is 
an acquisition, and marks an era in the acclimatization 
of the peach, (New.) 

Hockings' Remlet : Size, medium ; flavor, excellent ; 
clingstone; flesh, white, tender, melting, juicy, and 
rich ; color, deep red where exposed to the sun ; form, 
good; very prolific; ripens first week in January. 
This handsome and delicious peach is also of the Per- 
sian strain, and, when ripe, it is as tender in texture 
as a freestone peach. (New.) 

Hochings Klumper : Size, medium; flavor, good ; 
freestone ; flesh, yellow at the stone ; prolific bearer ; 
ripens at Christmas to middle of January. 

Hochings' Shointon : Size medium ; flavor, delicious, 
juicy; color, good; downy; freestone; flesh, red at 
the stone; prolific; ripens throughout January and 
part of February. 

Hockings* Metuah : Size, very large ; luscious apricot 
flavor ; color, fine ; flesh r rich yellow ; freestone ; fruit 
often ten inches round ; ripens latter part of January. 



118 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Hocking Drallab : Size, very large ; flavor, rich, 
sugary, and juicy; freestone; flesh, white and tender; 
fruit often ten inches round ; ripens first week in 
February. 

Hockings Rhemj : Size, large; juicy, fine flavor; 
color, good and handsomely mottled ; skin, downy ; 
clingstone; ripens second week in February. 

In addition to the foregoing peaches, which ripen in 
succession in the Brisbane district in the order in 
which they stand, and provide an uninterrupted supply 
of this luscious and useful fruit, from the end of the 
crop of flat China peaches at Christmas, until the end 
of February, there are many other useful sorts well 
worthy of cultivation, which will be found in the 
writer's catalogue. They embrace slipstones and cling- 
stones, early and very late (two good sorts ripening in 
April), white and yellow flesh, of greatly improved 
flavor, some of them approaching the exquisite quality 
of the best English wall-grown fruit. 

Propagation : The peach is propagated by budding 
and grafting, to continue or extend improved sorts. 

Planting : The trees may be planted from sixteen to 
twenty feet apart. Sixteen feet will be sufficient if 
the pruning is regularly attended to. From April to 
August is the season for removal, and early planting is 
recommended where the plants have not far to go from 
the nursery. On planting the trees, only take out 
sufficient earth to allow depth for their roots, and be 
careful that they are not put any deeper than they had 
previously stood in the nursery. Let the roots be 
spread out as fiat as possible, radiating from the stem 
in all directions ; fill in between the roots with some 
of the finest and best mould procurable, pushing it 
into the interstices of the roots with a stick ; cover 
the roots with a thin layer of the same mould ; fill in 
a little of the surrounding soil, tread it down gently 
but firmly, and draw the remainder around the stem 
in the form of a mound, with a flat top. Give a little 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



119 



water if requisite, and protect the trees from the sun 
and wind until they begin to grow. 

Soils : The peach should have a rich, open soil, on a 
dry, stony, or gravelly subsoil. It should, under any 
circumstances, be deep and well drained • and if it is 
not rich, the surface should be kept in good heart by 
a dressing of cow dung every spring and autumn, with 
the addition of bone dust, wood ashes, lime, and a 
little salt. Lime is an important constituent in the 
soil for peaches. 

Pruning, &c. : The peach should have all its leading 
shoots stopped two or three times during the summer, 
and the centre of the tree be kept open by rubbing off' 
the shoots as they appear. In the winter remove 
sickly or cross branches, and shorten back all the strong 
shoots about half their length, and the weak ones two- 
thirds. Keep the centre of the tree open. 

Peach trees in pots or tubs. 

Quite a new feature has been introduced into fruit 
culture in England during the last few years, in con- 
sequence of the extraordinary success attending some 
experiments made with fruit trees in pots protected in 
a green-house. The great points appear to be, an 
abundant supply of manure, sufficient water, and form- 
ing the tree into a very compact growth. Great vigor 
is thus induced, which, not being allowed to expend 
itself in wood shoots, and the buds being fully developed 
and well ripened, fruit is formed in abundance and perfec- 
tion. The object of introducing the subject here is 
that by this means persons who can afford the luxury 
may be enabled to produce the flat China peach on the 
Downs, where the blossoms are now generally destroyed 
by frost, and the delicious late peaches in tropical 
Queensland where they are now frequently destroyed 
by the worm. 

Mr. Thomas Rivers, the enthusiastic advocate of 
orchard houses, in the course of his directions for the 



120 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



management of fruit trees in pots, says : — " I now 
propose a mode of culture for orchard houses by 
forming peach and nectarine trees into close, compact 
pyramids, like an upright cypress. For this purpose, 
maiden trees with straight stems, and well furnished 
with lateral shoots, should be selected and planted in 
eleven-inch pots. They should not be more than from 
four to five feet high ; if more, their tops may be cut 
off to that height. Each lateral shoot should be cut 
into two buds ; these and the buds on the stem will in 
spring give numerous shoots. As soon as they have 
made four or five leaves, pinch off the fourth leaf with 
the end of the shoot, leaving three, not reckoning one 
or two small leaves generally found at the base of each 
shoot, which are without buds in their axils, and will not 
put forth a shoot. These pinched shoots will soon put 
forth a fresh crop ; every shoot of this second crop should 
he suffered to grow till it has made four or five leaves, 
and then he pinched to two leaves ; and all succeeding 
crops of shoots must he pinched off to one leaf as soon as 
four or five leaves are formed, unless larger and more 
spreading pyramids are desired. In such cases three or 
even five leaves m.ay he pinched down to with advantage." 

It may be remarked that, if from any temporary 
neglect of pinching, the shoots are allowed to grow 
long, they should be cut back to within three or four 
leaves of the main stem, and afterwards subjected to 
the treatment previously described. 

It is probable that larger pots would be necessary 
in this climate, and experiments are now being made 
with those measuring sixteen inches. 

Mr. Rivers states that peach and other trees may be 
grown in pots, and preserved in perfect health and 
fruitfulness for twenty years without re-potting, by the 
liberal use of liquid manure, and an annual top-dressing 
of rich compost. He recommends one pound of guano 
to twelve gallons of water, and that the trees have a 
good soaking of this once a week, pure water being 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



121 



used on all other occasions. For the compost, see 
" Compost for top-dressing," which follows. 

Compost for pruit trees in fots. 

Pare off three inches from a pasture with a tena- 
cious, loamy soil, chop it up into pieces about the size 
of a walnut, and expose it to the air for two or three 
months in the summer, and it is lit for use. Two-thirds 
of this loam, with one-third of rotten manure, should 
be well mixed, but Dot sifted or broken hne * leave it 
in lumps. After the tree is planted, ram the earth 
down firnilv \ many trees fail through inattention to 
this. 

Compost for top-dressing. 

Horse and cattle droppings, equal portions, tho- 
roughly mixed, thrown into a ridge and saturated with 
strong liquid manure. Spread a thin layer of finely 
powdered charcoal over the whole, and in two days 
thoroughly mix and use. There is no surface- dressing 
equal to this \ the effect is almost magical. In early 
spring every year the surface earth should be removed 
from the pot and replaced with this compost, filling the 
pot to the rim, and pressing it down. 



THE PEAR— (Pyrus Communis). 

The pear is preferred to the apple by many persons, 
and, in point of merit, may fairly be classed next to 
that fruit. It is more hardy and durable than the 
apple, taking longer to arrive at maturity, but existing 
for centuries in health, vigor, and productiveness. In 
France and other continental countries, the pear is cut 
into slices and dried over an oven, and, when weil pre- 
pared, will keep in good order and preserve its flavor 
for several years ; and the sorts best adapted for this 



122 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



purpose are such as are the least valuable for dessert. 
Perry is also made from the juice, and the best sorts are 
said to be little inferior to wine. 

The instructions for propagation, planting, soil, &c, 
and the first formation of the head of the tree, are 
similar to those given for the apple (which see). The 
subsoil must be dry or well drained. 

Seedlings : In raising pears from seed, the proportion 
of good sorts out of a given number is very small, and 
many will be utterly worthless. They take from eight 
to sixteen years to produce fruit, unless grafts are put 
upon old established trees. Dr. Yan Mons, of 
Brussels, recommends that trees be raised from the fruit 
of seedlings, as the second generation of seedlings, if 
subjected to high cultivation, is likely to produce an 
improved variety. 

Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, has introduced a 
mode of pruning and cultivating fruit-trees, which, if 
generally adopted, will cause a revolution in the ma- 
nagement of orchards. He recommend that the trees 
be worked (grafted) on dwarfing stocks — the apple on 
the paradise stock, the pear on the quince, &c. ; that 
the trees be kept small by continually nipping off the 
ends of the young shoots, by which they are never 
allowed to exceed the size of small bushes ; and that 
they be planted closer together. Eight feet is the dis- 
tance for trees thus pruned, and twenty feet for stand- 
ards. The mode of pruning he recommends is the same 
as he directs for trees in pots, which will be found in 
the article on the peach (which see). 

Pruning : The pear requires but little pruning. The 
head may be formed as recommended for the apple, 
and then it will only be necessary to shorten the long 
shoots half or two-thirds, and to keep the head open 
at the winter pruning. As the fruit is produced on 
short, thick branches or knobs (called spurs), clustered 
in bunches about the two-year-old wood, they should 
be encouraged, at proper intervals, all over the tree. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



123 



Manure : The pear requires manure rich in potash 
and phosphates ; these can best be suppled in bone dust 
and wood ashes. Sulphate of iron is also said to be a 
valuable special manure. 



THE PINE-APPLE— (Ananassa). 

The pine-apple is said by some of its admirers to 
combine the flavors of several of the choicest European 
fruits. When grown to perfection, and eaten fresh 
from the garden, it is one of the most delicious of 
fruits. 

There are numerous varieties of the pine-apple, each 
possessing some marked distinction : many of them 
valuable either for size, beauty of form, or season of 
ripening. Among these may be enumerated the Black 
Jamaica, the Green Providence, the Brown Sugarloaf, 
the Enville, the Black Antigua, the Ripley, and the 
Smooth-leaved Cayenne ; but for general cultivation 
none of these are equal to the old Queen (which is 
commonly planted about Brisbane) for productiveness, 
hardiness, or flavor. 

The pine-apple is propagated by seeds, crowns, and 
suckers. The seeds are sometimes found in the pips, 
and may be sown to raise new varieties. This is 
seldom attempted ; but as some of the very best sorts 
have been obtained from seed, there is every encourage- 
ment for those who have the time and opportunity to 
try further experiments. With regard to crowns, some 
gardeners assert that plants so propagated produce 
large, handsome fruit, with broader and flatter pips ; 
but that they take one season longer to come into bearing 
in open field culture than when grown from suckers, 
which is the almost universal practice. 

Soil : Any soil will suit the pine apple which is 
warm, rich, deep, and well drained. A rich, sandy 
loam, a gravelly or schistose ridge, would each produce 
the fruit in perfection if the above conditions were 



124 



HOCKINGS'' GARDEN MANUAL. 



complied with. The soil may be damp, but never wet ; 
no water should at any time stand in the soil. It should 
be trenched to the depth of two feet six inches (leaving 
any inferior soil at the bottom), and well manured, 
unless naturally very rich. Drains should be put in 
six inches deeper than it is trenched, unless the sobsoil 
is so porous as to render it unnecessary, which should 
be proved by the test previously given. 

Planting, &c. : Pine suckers may be planted any 
time during spring and summer, in rows six feet apart, 
the plants being four feet apart in the rows. It is of 
great importance that the plant receives no check to 
its growth after it is once rooted. In winter, wherever 
there is any risk of frost, a good handful of long grass 
should be placed close into the heart of each plant, 
and a little more scattered loosely over the leaves. 
There should also be a provision for watering in hot, 
dry weather, with liquid manure. The ground must 
be kept clean, and a good annual top-dressing of manure 
be given. 

Gathering : This fruit should never be gathered for 
exportation until the channels between the pips, for a 
distance half-way up from the stem, be turned yellow, 
or a yellowish green. For immediate use, let them be 
taken when the whole fruit is of a pale yellow, directly 
all the green has disappeared. If left longer, they 
become very juicy, the flesh a dark yellow, the delicacy 
of flavor is gone, and a slightly stinging or pricking 
sensation may be observed in the month, which arises 
from fermentation having commenced. 

Pine -apple wine. 

The following is stated to make a rich, strong wine, 
which keeps well : — Take freshly gathered pine-apples, 
which are quite ripe ; press the juice from them, strain 
it carefully, and mix sugar with it until it will support 
an egg • boil the whole gently for fifteen minutes, 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



125 



keeping it well skimmed; ferment it in an open tub for 
three days, and cask it. 

THE PLUM— (Prunus Domestical 

The plum has not hitherto been productive in the 
Brisbane district, and there are very few instances of 
seedlings being raised, as, in consequence of the im- 
ported fruit being gathered before it is mature, the 
seed does not grow. The first step towards obtaining 
acclimatized sorts would probably be the introduction 
from the south of Italy of the best varieties which 
thrive there, and a few also from the Southern States 
of America. The Newman and Wildgoose plums, 
lately introduced from the latter country, promise to 
be fruitful here. 

In our local nurseries the kinds most esteemed by 
English and French growers are also now to be found. 

The directions given in the article on the peach will 
apply to the general treatment of the plum. 

The blossoms appear on small fruit spurs in most of 
the varieties of the plum, and these spurs will, there- 
fore, require a little care and attention. In pruning, 
the straggling and over-crowded branches should be re- 
moved or shortened. 

If the land is poor, apply animal manures, and a 
surface dressing of salt around the tree to the outside 
limit of its foliage, to the extent of half a peck, is 
recommended to be applied every spring. Lime is also 
a good special manure. 



THE POMEGRANATE— (Punica Granatum). 

The pomegranate is highly esteemed in the East, 
where it attains a great age. It is an ornamental 
shrub of great merit, and, on account of the beauty of 
its foliage, relieved by the brilliant flowers and hand- 
some fruit, deserves a place in all large gardens. 



126 



HOCKINGS' GARPEN MANUAL. 



The rind of the fruit and the flowers are used medi- 
cinally. The wine of the sweet pomegranate, or the 
recently-expressed juice, was formerly recommended in 
pulmonary complaints; the latter is also given with 
great advantage in cases of fever. 

Propagation : There are two sorts commonly grown 
in Queensland — the double-flowering, for ornament 
only; the single-flowering, for ornament and fruit. 
They are both easily propagated by layers and cuttings. 
Any ordinary garden soil, if well drained, will be 
suitable. It is sometimes used for edging; it is rather 
too robust for that purpose, but might be advanta- 
geously planted for a dwarf hedge. 



THE QUINCE. 

The quince is not held in much esteem, but among 
the ancients it was greatly valued, as much for its 
medicinal properties as for its culinary uses. Philips 
relates the case of a gentleman in Sussex, England^ 
who was completely cured of an asthmatic complaint 
of long standing by the use of quince wine, which was 
made in the following manner : — " Cut large quinces in 
quarters, and core them ; grind them in the same man- 
ner as apples for cider, and put to every gallon of 
pummace a gallon of water ; let it stand a day or two, 
and strain it off; to every gallon put three pounds and a 
quarter of moist sugar, tun it, and stop it quite close ; 
the following spring rack it off, cleanse the cask of 
sediment, and put it back again; and in the second 
year bottle it off," 

Quince marmalade, when well made, is most excel- 
lent, and so wholesome that it may be given to children 
almost without limit. 

Propagation : It may be propagated by seeds, layers, 
cuttings, suckers, and grafting. 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



127 



Soil : The best soil for the quince is a rich, damp, 
peaty soil, which will not contain water. Contrary to 
the generally received opinion, the quince requires 
manure and cultivation. It will grow and produce 
fruit without either but it will do better with them. 
Large quantities of barn-yard manure should be mixed 
with the soil, and abundance of salt. Liquid manure 
should be given freely in dry weather. Plant the trees 
ten feet apart. 

Pruning : Train to a single stem for three feet ; de- 
stroy all suckers, and thin out crowded branches. 



THE RASPBERRY. 

The raspberry is a delicious berry fruit, which is best 
adapted for growing in the colder parts of Queensland. 
It will, however, grow to tolerable perfection around 
Brisbane with ordinary attention. 

It is said to possess valuable medicinal properties, 
as, like the strawberry, it does not undergo the acetous 
fermentation in the stomach. It is recommended in 
scorbutic cases, and in gouty and rheumatic disorders. 
The wine made from it is highly spoken of, and rasp- 
berry jelly is in general repute. 

The raspberry is propagated by suckers planted in 
autumn or spring. 

Soil : A deep, rich, humid soil, slightly shaded, is the 
most suitable for this fruit : damp, but no water stand- 
ing in it. 

Planting, &c. : The suckers are planted in stools, 
three or four in a stool, at six inches apart, and the 
stools to be four feet apart each way. 

Pruning, &c. : In the winter pruning cut out the 
old stems which have produced fruit • preserve three or 
four of the strongest of the new shoots to each stool 
to stand for fruit, cutting off about a foot of the top, 



128 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



and tie them to a stake. Daring the summer keep the 
bed clean, and destroy all superfluous suckers. 

If a late crop is required, cut down the plants to 
within a few inches of the ground in spring. 

To improve the fruit, remove the old canes as soon 
as the fruit is gathered* 

When the pruning is completed, dung the bed well, 
giving it a dressing of salt, and fork it in. 



THE ROSE APPLE— (Jambosa Aquea). 

The rose apple is a beautiful evergreen tree, which 
attains the height of twenty feet. The leaves are 
lanceolate, shining deep green, and the ends of the 
young shoots are a bright chocolate color ; the flowers 
appear in clusters, are white, and rather peculiar and 
attractive, from the vast number of long pendant 
stamens with which they are furnished. The fruit is 
of a pale yellow, of the size of a walnut, and the effect 
of the whole contrast of colors, together with the 
slender and graceful character of the branches, is to 
form one of the most ornamental of evergreen shrubs. 
The fruit is produced in abundance, and consists of a 
soft shell, not very juicy, covering one or more large 
seeds. It has an agreeable flavor, somewhat resembling 
sweetened rose-water. 

It will thrive in any good garden soil : may be propa- 
gated very easily from seeds or by layers, and may be 
planted after rain any time from April to August, at 
sixteen feet apart. It blossoms in September. 

The only pruning necessary will be to remove any 
crowded or cross branches, and occasionally to shorten 
long straggling shoots. 

THE SHADDOCK or PUMPLENOSE. 

(Citrus Decumana). 

The pumplenose is a native of Java, the leaves and 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



129 



fruit of which are the most handsome of the citrus 
tribe. There are numerous varieties — some with white 
and some with red flesh, some acid and some sweet, 
and the quality so diverse that some of the best sorts 
almost rival a good orange, while others are worthless. 
The fruit is said to grow as large as a child's head in 
Japan, and another traveller states its weight to be 
fourteen pounds, and its size two feet in circumference. 
It is very valuable on sea voyages, as, from the thick- 
ness of its skin, it keeps longer than the orange. The 
sherbet prepared from it is a most grateful drink to the 
sick. 

It is easily propagated by grafting, layers, or cut- 
tings, and is said to bear abundantly in India and other 
places. It has been some years in the Author's garden 
without bearing; but it is probably in an unfavorable 
position. The original plant was received by him from 
Calcutta. 

Since writing the foregoing, some growers have suc- 
ceeded in getting small crops of this fruit. 

The cultivation, &c., is the same as the orange 
(which see). 



THE STRAWBERRY. 

This favorite fruit is a native of Great Britain, 
northern Europe, and some parts of America ; but, 
although coming from a much colder climate, there 
have been sufficient instances of success attending its 
cultivation in the neighborhood of Brisbane to warrant 
the assertion that this delicious and wholesome fruit 
may be produced in perfection in this climate, if the 
same amount of care is bestowed upon its culture which 
the successful growers in England and America consider 
necessary. 

Propagation : This is generally effected by suckers 
or runners. In selecting suckers for this purpose, some 

K 



130 



KOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL 



judgment should be used, for, among the cultivated 
varieties, numerous plants will be found by the 
observant grower which produce a profusion of 
blossoms, but little fruit. There are, in fact, three 
sorts of blossoms produced by strawberry plants — one, 
in which the stamens and pistils are properly formed, 
which are, consequently, the most certain croppers • 
the second, in which the stamens or male organs are 
excessively developed, and which are often unfruitful ; 
and third, those in which the pistil is well formed, 
but the stamens or fertilizing parts being deficient, 
they do not prove fruitful unless the wind or insects 
carry the pollen from some staminate blossoms near 
them. 

It is not proposed that amateur gardeners shall be 
troubled to reduce these scientific details to practice, 
except in the most simple and easy manner. The 
most ordinary observer can see that certain plants in 
a bed produce more fruit, and perhaps larger and 
better flavored, than others. We would recommend 
that little sticks be firmly placed to all such, and suckers 
preserved from them only for making the new bed. 
Any plants which are found to be unfruitful should be 
dug out. 

Some of the best of our cultivated varieties have 
been raised from seed, and it would be a worthy un- 
dertaking for any enthusiastic amateur to endeavor to 
obtain a few sorts by this means, suitable to the climate 
of Queensland. 

Planting : From April to August, if the soil is 
damp, plant the strawberries eighteen inches apart, in 
rows distant two feet to two feet six inches. They 
should be planted with all their roots extending 
laterally, and pressed firmly down, but not crammed 
together, into a little hole. The beds should not con- 
tain more than three or four rows, having an alley two 
feet six inches in width at each side, to obviate the 
necessity for trampling upon the bed. 



bookings' garden manual. 



131 



Soil and Cultivation : A very deep, rich, free soil, 
damp, but well drained, in an open situation, is that 
best suited for the strawberry. It should be trenched 
two feet six inches deep, leaving the bottom spit where 
it was, after being well broken, as previously directed. 
The top spit should be ivell manured with vegetable 
manure and ashes. The whole of the soil should be 
lightly strewed with hay, straw, dry leaves, or cut grass, 
wheu the plants begin to fruit — partly to protect the 
roots from the heat of the sun, and partly to prevent 
the rain beating the soil on to the fruit : the supply 
should be sufficient therefore to effect both purposes. 
Irrigation is absolutely necessary for the strawberry — 
water, water, water ; but it must not be stagnant. 
The runners should be removed as they appear, unless 
required for the formation of a new bed. After the 
fruit is all gathered, give the surface of the bed a good 
dressing of vegetable manure, forking it in lightly be- 
tween the rows. 



THE TAMARIND— (Tamarindus Indica). 

A beautiful spreading deciduous tree, well suited 
to the climate. It has long been an inhabitant of our 
gardens, and has borne fruit in Brisbane and Glad- 
stone. The fruit consists of the dark pulpy matter in 
which the seeds are embedded in the pod. It is 
separated from the shell, is placed in layers in casks, 
and boiling syrup poured over it The flavor is an 
agreeable sweetish acid, and the infusion of the pulp 
forms a grateful refrigerent beverage, valuable in febrile 
diseases. The tree thrives in a loamy peat, and is 
highly ornamental. Distance, twenty feet. 

THE WALNUT— (Juglans Regia). 

The fruit of the walnut, when ripe, is in esteem for 
the dessert, and in its green state is used for pickling. 



132 



H0CKTNGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



The wood is valuable for gun-stocks and other similar 
purposes, being lighter in proportion to its strength 
than most other woods. The tree grows to the height 
of fifty feet, and may be planted at intervals of thirty 
feet. It is easily propagated from fresh seeds and 
layers, and comes into bearing in six or eight years. 
It requires a deep soil of fair quality, resting upon a 
dry subsoil • and the only pruning necessary is the 
removal of crowded or cross branches. The fruit is 
produced on the extremities of the previous year's 
shoots. 



THE WAMPEE— (Cookia Punctata). 

This esteemed Chinese fruit is the produce of a small 
evergreen tree, having compound leaves, which is a 
native of China and the Indian Archipelago. It grows 
to the height of fifteen feet, and bears fruit in China 
at three years, from the seed. The approved sorts are 
propagated by layers, but may also be increased by 
cuttings of ripe shoots in heat, under a bell-glass. For 
the purpose of raising new varieties, recourse must be 
had to the seed ; and it is to this means of propagation, 
the only true method of " acclimatising,' 5 that we must 
look for its ultimate naturalisation to the soil of 
Queensland. It has not yet borne fruit here ; but, as 
the Chinese speak of it as superior to the litcbi, which 
is a universal favorite with them, it is likely to prove 
a valuable addition to our fruits. The tree is allied to 
Murraya. The soil most suitable for its cultivation is 
peat and loam. There are two or three distinct sorts 
grown in China. 

New Chinese fruits. 

The productive character of all the Chinese fruits 
hitherto introduced into Queensland should encourage 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



133 



further efforts to extend the list, so as to embrace all 
that would prove of value. Travellers mention apri- 
cots as being indigenous, and the Chinese speak of a 
kind of plum, of which they have several kinds, as 
being hardy, prolific, and most delicious. These, the 
mangosteens, and several others, would prove of value, 
and every effort should be used to secure them, now 
such facilities exist, by means of the junction of the 
Torres Straits and China mail services. 



WINE PALM— (Elais Melanococca). 

Fkom Elaia,the olive. The natives of Guinea express 
an oil from the fruit, in the same manner as the Con- 
tinental nations do from the olive. It is used in 
Europe in enormous quantities in the manufacture of 
soap and candles, and for other purposes, under the 
name of palm oil. The leaves are made into mats, &c, 
and from the sap of the tree an agreeable intoxicating 
liquor is made, called palm wine. 

This valuable palm, which is a native of New 
Grenada, grows to perfection in the Brisbane Botanic 
Garden, where it produces its large bunches of delicious 
fruit in great profusion. It comes into bearing at 
about seven years, from the seed. The bunches of 
fruit are rather lax, and are frequently about four feet 
in length by eighteen inches in diameter ; the fruit, 
which is about the size of a plum, hanging pendant from 
the flexible foot stalks. The fruit is juicy, and has a 
most agreeable aromatic and spirit ous fruity flavor. 

The tree thrives in a rich sandy loam, and may be 
increased by suckers and by seed. Being a native of 
the tropics, it will probably grow to even greater per- 
fection in all the northern coast districts than it does 
in Brisbane. 



THE FARM. 



THE FARM. 



MAIZE or INDIAN CORN, 




It is generally sown in rows four feet apart, the 
hills being three feet apart in the rows, into which 
five or six seeds are placed at a depth of one and a-balf 
or two inches. The plants are ultimately thinned out 
to three in a cluster. Let the weeds be kept down, 
lest they smother the young plants, drawing them 
towards the corn hills, but not too close until the 
second cleaning, when the com is " hilled up." The 
crop is much improved by two or three plonghings 
between the rows during its growth, even so near as to 

Oct " 

tear out part of the roots. It should always be cleaned 
and earthed up by the light one-horse plough, and. if 
the rows are up and down hill or a sideling fall, the 
furrows will answer for surface drains in case of long- 
continued rains. 

Another method is to grow it in rows four feet apart, 
dropping the seed into drills two inches deep, at dis- 
tances of eight inches apart. This practice has only 
been tried by a few cultivators, but the result is stated 
to be satisfactory. 

A full crop is from fifty to eighty bushels ; an average 
crop not more than forty bushels ; and it takes about 
four months to mature. 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



137 



Some growers cut the tops off' the corn when dead, 
and use them for fodder for their cattle. The inside 
husks make good stuffing for mattresses. The stalks 
are best burned on the field in heaps, with as much 
earth gathered round as the fire will be able to char. 
Ashes are valuable as manure for all farm crops. 

Seed and time of sowing : Too much care cannot be 
bestowed on the selection of seed. Select the largest 
and best cobs, and only sow the seeds from the centre. 
Endeavor to procure the longest grain, as the yield 
will be greater, the number and width of the grains 
being the same. One-tenth greater length in the grain 
will give you one-tenth more crop, or fifty bushels more 
in five hundred. Sow the common maize in July and 
August for summer crop, and in January for winter 
crop. The ninety-day maize may be sown in February. 

Sir William Alacarthur, Camden Park, N.S.W., grows 
excellent varieties of early and late maize, which he is 
careful to preserve pure. 



EARLY WHITE TUSCARORA CORN, &c. 

This fine flour corn w^as introduced here several 
years since, and is still cultivated to a small extent. 
The pure white flour from this com, boiled in milk, 
would make a most agreeable and heartening breakfast 
for the family of the agriculturist, and it is to be re- 
gretted that an um^easoning prejudice should interfere 
with the extended use of this wholesome grain, in its 
various forms as an article of diet. It is of dwarf 
habit, ripens in ninety days from the day of sowing, 
and may be sown as late as March. An experiment 
was made in the season of 1864 by the Author, as 
follows ; — On August 26th some seed of this corn was 
sown ; the season was backward and nights very cold, 
and the corn was consequently much retarded. On 
Kovember 24th the crop was gathered ripe and dry, and 
a row of selected seed was sown. On February 2-ith 



138 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



the crop from this was gathered ripe, and a row of 
selected seed again sown, the crop from which, much 
retarded by heavy rain and floods, ripened and was 
gathered on the 31st May. Three crops in succession 
in 278 days. 

The American pop corn, Darling's early sugar corn, 
and Burr's large sugar corn — all much used in America 
for culinary purposes — ripen here in ninety days. 



WHEAT. 

Advantages of selecting seed. 

The very satisfactory results which have always fol- 
lowed the judicious selection of both seeds and animals 
fur the purpose of propagation, when improvement of 
the original stock was desired, have left the ques- 
tion beyond dispute ; but few persons attempt to 
reduce it to practice on their own farms, and those who 
do seldom publish the particulars of their success. 

The experiments of Mr. Hallett, of Essex, England, 
are probably as interesting and instinctive as could be 
desired for an illustration. 

Space will not allow a detailed statement of his mode 
of cultivation, but the result has been very striking : 
he now has wheat which produces ears eight and a-half 
inches long, and having up one side eighteen ranks of 
spikelets of grains. The seed is recommended to be 
drilled in at the rate of only four bushels to ten acres. 
The following extract will explain the mode of selec- 
tion adopted for " Hallett s Pedigree Nursery Wheat :" 

"In every plant of wheat, barley, or oats there is 
always one best ear, and in every ear there is always 
one best grain, which is that one found at the following 
harvest to produce the best plant, all the grains having 
been planted in competition with each other. The 
best of all the competing plants of any ' family ' of a 
cereal is ascertained by the most studious comparison 



BOOKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



139 



of the good qualities they visibly present, and of the 
notes of the peculiarities exhibited by each during the 
whole course of its growth, such as-— the rapidity with 
which the parent seed germinates ; the manner, time, 
and extent of the 'tillering' of the plant ; the periods 
of its earing, blooming, and ripening ; its powers of 
withstanding disease, frost, wet. d:c. : the toughness of 
its straw, and any other characteristics which are 
essential to forming a correct decision, and which cannot 
be determined by even the most careful inspection of 
the perfect plant. This best plant is called ' the selec- 
tion ' of the year (say 1861) in which it is thus obtained, 
and consists of numerous ears, containing many hun- 
dreds, and even thousands of grains, which are planted 
separately, those of each ear being kept quite distinct, 
as, although the best grain of any plant is nearly 
always found to lie in the best ear, it may be other- 
wise, and the successive parent ears must be preserved. 
At the following harvest (1862). the best plant forms 
' the selection of 1862,' and its produce is continued on 
the experimental ground, while that of the remaining 
plants furnishes the annual seed for the farm in the 
autumn of 1862, and the crops are in 1863 offered to 
the public. Thus, the selection sold is that of 1861, 
or in any year that of two years before : the latest 
selection, that of the year immediately preceding, is not 
sold, being solely employed as the home seed. The sepa- 
rate ears of a plant are designated by different letters, 
numbers, or names, as A, Z, &a ; and each, with its 
descendants, form a 6 family ' which may develop some 
valuable peculiarity. Thus, all the 4 Pedigree Nursery 
Wheat ' hitherto sold has been of a family called 1 A/ 
while another family of the same wheat known as e Z,' 
having been observed to exhibit marked superiority, 
has been continued separately, and has given a greater 
progress during 1862 than has been before obtained in 
any single year. The original ear ('A') contained up 
one of its sides 1 6 *' ranks ' fspikelets) of grains, while the 



140 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



C Z family' lias produced ears of 18 'ranks/ and this 
without any increase in the length of the ear, the 
' notches ' of the axis on which the spikelets grow being 
placed more closely together. In a small field of this 
C Z' family, ears with 17 'ranks' were quite common, 
while in other fields of the family 'A,' not one such 
ear could be found" 

Cultivation of wheat. 

The land most suitable for the cultivation of wheat 
is a moderately rich loam, which should be free of 
weeds, in good tilth, and subjected to a proper rotation 
of crops. On some soils wheat may be grown alter- 
nately with a green crop, where manure is abundant. 
Wheat is exhausting to the soil, and therefore requires 
manure ; too large a dose, however, will sometimes 
cause the crop to lodge, and in some instances the 
presence of rust has been attributed to over-manuring 
of that crop, and the manure is consequently more 
generally applied to one of the other crops in the rota- 
tion. The manures most suitable for wheat are animal 
matters and lime. Thorough draining is of the utmost 
importance. 

The land being prepared by a fallow and several 
ploughings, the seed should be pickled as follows : — 
Dissolve the salt in a very small quantity of water ; 
some lime is slacked with this brine, and the wheat 
candied with it, having been previously moistened with 
pure water. Wheat prepared in this way is found by 
experience to be more free from smut than when any 
other preparation is employed. — Young, Stale urine 
is preferred by some grow r ers. 

Method of setting wheat : " The lands on which it 
succeeds best (Norfolk, England) are either after a 
clover stubble or those on which trefoil or grass seeds 
were sown in the spring before the last. The grounds, 
after the usual manuring, are once turned over by the 
plough in a long extended flag or turf, at ten inches 



H0CKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



141 



wide, along which a man called a dibbler, with two 
setting irons, somewhat bigger than ramrods, but con- 
siderably thicker at the lower end, and pointed at the 
extremity, steps backwards along the turf, making 
holes about four inches asunder every way, an inch 
deep ; into these holes the droppers (generally boys) 
drop two grains of wheat, which are quite sufficient. 
After this, a gate, bushed with thorns, is drawn by one 
horse over the land to close up the holes. Seed — three 
pecks per acre." — Young. 

Weeding should be attended to, so that the young 
plants be not choked. 

If the land is sown broadcast, from one to two 
bushels of seed will be required, according to the soil. 

Sowings maybe made during March, April, and May. 
The crop should be cut when thoroughly mature, but 
before it is quite ripe, as the grain is a better color, and 
it saves waste by scattering. 

Salt is a good special manure for wheat, and is a 
preventative of rust. 



THE POTATO. 

The potato is propagated by the tuber, either whole 
or cut into " sets" with an eye to each; since the great 
failure, however, many intelligent growers have devoted 
attention to raising new varieties from seed contained 
in the berry or potato apple, and valuable results have 
followed their efforts in the introduction of some new 
sorts, said to be free from the disease, hardy, early, 
floury, and productive. This is an object well worth 
the attention of Queensland farmers, as we are not yet 
possessed of an acclimatised variety of this valuable 
root. The apples are produced more abundantly in the 
spring than in the late crops ; they should only be 
saved from potatoes of the best quality, and as they 
sport into innumerable varieties, each root should be 



142 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



numbered and kept separate. The seed may be sown 
in shallow drills in February, and when about three 
inches high thin them out to about eight inches or a 
foot apart. The tubers from the seedling plants will 
be very small. On digging them up, select the best 
roots to experiment with, keeping each cluster separate 
and numbered, or otherwise distinguished. On 
planting them in the following spring, select an equal 
quantity of the best formed tubers of each root, giving 
them equal space and attention. When the crop is 
ripe, the tubers will be of a sufficient size to determine 
their properties. 

Having considered not merely the flavor of each 
new variety, but the size, shape, and color, the com- 
parative fertility and healthiness, earliness or lateness, 
reject or retain it for permanent culture accordingly. 

Propagation by tubers : When tubers are intended 
to be cut, this operation should be performed several 
days before planting, and the sets spread out in a shed 
to dry. The cutting should be from end to end, and 
not across the potato, as the root end is said to be a 
fortnight later than the others, and this would cause 
the crop to ripen unevenly. 

Time of planting, dec, : The land being well drained 
and properly prepared, potatoes may be planted in 
March and August, in drills two feet six inches apart, 
and the sets twelve inches apart in the rows. The 
drills should be four inches deep, and the sets carefully 
covered. Medium sized whole potatoes are generally 
preferable to cut potatoes, especially for the August 
sowing. The season for sowing necessarily varies, not 
only wi+h the district, but with the aspect. 

The crop should be kept free of weeds, and for this 
purpose the scarifier would be found useful. The 
potatoes should be earthed up with a light one-horse 
plough as they advance ; and if at the second earthing 
up, the furrows are left pretty deep, they will be valu- 
able as surface drains in case of heavy rains. 



HOCKINGS'' GARDEN MANUAL. 



143 



Shirley Hibbard, a successful grower, who gets nine- 
teen tons to the acre, free from disease, gives many 
valuable directions for the cultivation of the potato, 
which might, with advantage, be tried here in gardens. 
He recommends a fresh, crumbly loam, so situated as 
not to suffer from heavy rains, which had been manured 
heavily for cabbage the previous season, so as to be very 
rich and light. It is dug a full spade deep, and the 
whole potatoes, about two or three ounces each, are 
lightly trenched in — that is, laid along in drills, opened 
by the spade at proper distances, and covered by the 
spade in making the next trench. The soil above, 
around, and under them cannot be too loose and fri- 
able, and from the moment the sets are in, not a foot 
should be set on it, until the time comes for hoeing 
them over. At the time of planting, the sets should 
be firm, slightly sprouted ; the sprouts close, very stiff, 
and strong, and dark green or purple. Charred rubbish, 
to the depth of two or three inches, is scattered over 
the whole bed after the first hoeing, and the crop is 
not earthed up. The potatoes are dug before the haulm 
is quite dead. 

A large number of new sorts have been imported, 
but have not yet been grown to any considerable ex- 
tent. A round, white variety, received some years ago, 
known as Webster's Best, has earned for itself a good 
reputation for flavor, earliness, and productiveness ; 
and an American potato, called the Early Rose, which 
caused quite a furore there when it was first made 
known,., has been introduced here by Mr. Cribb, and 
has produced very satisfactory crops. 



THE SWEET POTATO. 

This valuable esculent requires a rich, dry, loamy 
soil, inclined to sand. The land should be ploughed 
deep, and well manured. Potash and the phosphates 



144 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



are the special manures indicated by analysis as parti- 
cularly required. 

It is propagated during September and October, by 
suckers or runners, which are planted three feet apart, 
and the sets eighteen inches distant in the rows. Some 
growers throw the land up into flat ridges, and plant 
on the top. 

In the interior, or in districts where a supply of 
runners or vines are not obtainable, some small roots 
should be procured, and planted in a well-prepared bed 
in May, and they will throw up an abundant supply of 
shoots for transplanting early in spring. If frost is 
expected, the bed should be strewn with litter dining 
winter. Care should be taken to secure the best 
quality, as they deteriorate from bad culture. New 
varieties may be raised from seed. 



THE YAM. 

The yam requires a very deep, rich, sandy soil, 
which should be dug at least three feet deep, and well 
manured if not sufficiently rich. It is propagated by 
seed or by the crowns of the old roots. They may be 
planted in September and October, five or six inches 
deep, and three feet apart each way, placing a stick 
firmly in the ground by each plant for the young 
shoots to climb up. When the tops die down the 
crop is fit to dig. which operation may be performed 
by opening a trench at one side of the bed. about two 
feet six inches deep, the whole leugrh of the row, and 
trenching the bed. By this method the roots may be 
got out without breaking ; and, if a good dressing of 
manure is first put on the surface of the bed. this 
trenching will be a good preparation for the next crop, 
nothing further being necessary at the planting season 
than a good surface digging, and setting the seed or 
crowns as first directed. Some growers recommend 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



145 



the beds to be thrown up in ridges, and the sets 
planted along the top, to save the trouble of such deep 
digging ; but in dry seasons this might endanger the 
crop. The whole yarn is covered with eyes, and may 
be cut up into " sets," and not the crown only, as is 
generally supposed. 



THE DIOSCOREA BATATES, or CHINESE YAM. 

The botanic name is here made most prominent, as 
it is by that this useful tuber is most generally known. 
This plant is a native of Japan and China, producing 
long slender tubers about two feet long, which are 
esteemed by many persons as superior to the common 
yam. The tuber may be cut up into small pieces for 
planting, as the exterior is set all over with eyes or 
buds. The sets should be laid by in a warm place to 
start the buds, and while they are progressing the 
ground should be prepared for their reception. The 
soil should be very rich or highly-manured sandy or 
fibry loam, and is recommended to be thrown up in 
ridges eighteen inches apart, along the top of each of 
which the sets are planted six inches apart and four 
inches deep. The tops soon cover the soil and smother 
the weeds, and, being planted upon ridges, will be found 
to greatly facilitate the digging. 



THE CASSAVA-(Jatropha Manihot). 

An evergreen shrub from South America, growing 
to the height of three to five feet ; tubers somewhat re- 
sembling parsnips in size and shape are produced at 
the root in great abundance, from which the cassava 
flour is manufactured in the most primitive manner. 

The cassava is also made from other varieties of the 
jatropha, but the Jatropha Manihot is more generally 
cultivated for that purpose in consequence of the tubers 
being free from a tough fibre which passes through the 

L 



146 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



others. The tubers, on being dug, are washed and 
peeled ; they are then ground down to a pulp through 
a rough grater, placed in wicker baskets, and subjected 
to a heavy pressure by lever to express the juice or 
sap from the mass \ this is turned out on skins, ex- 
posed to the sun, and, when dry, is baked over a slow 
fire on earthen plates. The root in its raw state is said 
to be an acrid poison, but the flour and bread prepared 
from it are not only wholesome, but pleasant. 

Tapioca is prepared from this root, and a flour equal 
to arrowroot may also be made from it. 

It is supposed that heat alone is sufficient to dispel 
its poisonous quality, as the Indians merely roast the 
root in the embers. 

The plant requires rich, well-drained soil, and as it 
is an exhausting crop, the plants should have plenty 
of room, and not be put twice in the same bed. The 
produce is very great, and the flour nourishing. 



ARROWROOT. 

Arrowroot, in Queensland, is manufactured from 
two different plants ; the Mar ant a A rundinacea or 
white, and the Canna Edulis, or purple. Both kinds 
yield white arrowroot, and the distinguishing color 
mentioned has reference only to the skin of the root or 
tuber. 

A rich sandy loam is the most suitable for its cul- 
tivation, and it should be prepared by deep digging or 
ploughing, not less than twelve inches deep. Small 
well- formed tubers should be selected and planted in 
October, in rows four feet asunder, and two feet apart 
in the rows. During the growing season the planta- 
tions should be frequently hoed and kept perfectly clear 
of weeds ; a little earth may also be drawn around the 
plants. A slight frost greatly accelerates maturing of 
the crop, which generally occupies the ground nine 
months. When the bulbs are dug they are thoroughly 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



14? 



washed to remove all earthy particles, after the roots 
have been rubbed off. The washing may be performed 
either by hand or in a cylinder revolving in water, 
according to the extent of the plantation. The bulbs 
should be immediately reduced to pulp by hand or 
horse-power grater, or by pounding in a large wooden 
mortar. The pulp is thrown into a quantity of clear 
water and thoroughly agitated, when the fibre may be 
gathered and removed. After the starch has settled 
the water is drawn off, more water is added, the resi- 
duum is thoroughly disturbed, and the whole strained 
through a sieve to remo ve any pieces of fibre remaining, 
and it is allowed to settle as before. This operation is 
again repeated if it is intended to prepare a fine article. 
The arrowroot is then spread out on clean white cloths 
to dry in the sun, and when quite dry is ready for 
packing. 

The plant is of easy cultivation, and the chief ex- 
pense is incurred in the manufacture. Its profitable 
production, therefore, depends upon the extent to which 
machinery and horse-power may be made available to 
economise manual labor ; and to this point we would 
particularly direct the attention of growers, as upon it 
depends our ability to compete for the supply of all 
the civilized world. 



TOBACCO. 

A light rich soil is best suited for this plant — -land 
which would produce potatoes and turnips in perfection. 
It must be free of water, and, if not rich, it should be 
well manured with thoroughly decomposed manure. 

In August, having prepared a suitable bed, mix 
the seed with six times the quantity of sand, scatter 
it evenly over the bed, and cover it slightly with a 
little sand sprinkled or sifted over it. A little pro- 
tection should be given in case of late frosts. When 
the plants have so far advanced as to have leaves four 



148 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



inches long, they are fit to transplant, and their 
longer continuance in the seed bed would be injurious. 
Plant them out at three feet apart each way. Every 
morning and evening they require to be looked over, 
in order to destroy a worm which sometimes invades 
the bud. When four or five inches high they are 
moulded up. As soon as they have eight or nine 
leaves, and are ready to put forth a stalk, the top is 
nipped off, in order to make the leaves longer and 
thicker by directing all the energies of the plant to 
them. After this the buds which sprout from the 
joints of the leaves are all plucked, and not a day is 
allowed to pass without examining the leaves, to 
destroy a large caterpillar which is sometimes very 
destructive to them. When they are fit for cutting, 
which is known by the brittleness of the leaves, they 
are cut with a knife close to the ground, and, after 
lying some time, are carried to the drying shed, where 
the plants are hung up in pairs upon lines, having a 
space between them that they may not touch one 
another. In this state they remain to sweat and dry. 
When perfectly dry, the leaves are stripped from the 
stalks, and made into small bundles tied with one of 
the leaves. These bundles are laid in heaps and 
covered with blankets. Care is taken not to over- 
heat them, for which reason the heaps are laid open 
to the air from time to time, and spread abroad. This 
operation is repeated till no more heat is perceived in 
the heaps, and the tobacco is then stowed in casks for 
exportation. 

The crop is about three months coming to maturity. 
The plants, when cut down, will throw up other shoots, 
one of which should be preserved for a second crop. 

At three feet apart, there will be 4,840 plants 
per acre, and the average yield on good soil is stated 
at a quarter of a pound per plant, or about 1200 lbs, 
per acre. The ground must be kept perfectly clear of 
weeds. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



149 



For different modes of culture and manufacture, 
the reader is referred to Loudon's Encyclopcedia of 
Agriculture, p. 936. 



COTTON. 

Varieties : There are many varieties of the cotton 
plant, and probably some very valuable sorts may yet 
be produced by hybridising and selection. The Sea 
Island or Long Staple and the Egyptian, New Orleans 
or Upland are the sorts most cultivated. 

Soil : The soil should be rich, friable, and deep, and 
free of water for two feet six inches in depth. 

Cultivation : The land should be well ploughed, and 
the subsoil broken up if possible. The seed is sown 
three or four in a hole, at four to eight feet apart, 
according to the richness of the soil, in September, or 
as soon as it considered the frost is over. Great care 
is necessary to keep the crop clean by an early weeding, 
or it may be smothered by the weeds or destroyed by 
caterpillars. In weeding, the plants are thinned out, 
leaving the two strongest in each hole. The second 
weeding may be done with a light plough or scarifier, 
when the plants may be earthed up. If the earth is 
stirred as soon as the weeds are a quarter of an inch 
high, two or three times during the early growth of the 
young cotton plants, the crop will require but little 
further trouble. 

Cotton picking commences in March, and should be 
proceeded with without intermission, as serious damage 
often occurs from rain when the ripe bolls are allowed 
to remain on the tree, and the sample is much damaged 
by dirt and pieces breaking into the cotton from the 
dried pericarp. 

Notwithstanding the superior quality of the Sea 
Island cotton produced in Queensland, and the con- 
sequent high price which it commands, the New Or- 
leans is growing into favor, as it is stated to possess 



150 



HOCKIXGs' GARDEN MANUAL. 



three advantages over the former : — It is said to be 
more umbrageous, by which the growth of weeds is 
checked and labor saved ; to produce a much larger 
crop, by which it compensates to a considerable extent 
for the difference in price ; and to ripen the crop more 
uniformly, by which it requires picking less frequently, 
to the great saving of labor. 

The Queensland farmer has fairly tested cotton as a 
crop, and much valuable knowledge has been gained as 
to the nature and habits of the plants, the varieties 
Dest suited for the climate and soil, and the probable 
returns ; and, at the present cost of labor, it cannot be 
made to pay. 

In addition to the cotton fibre, there are two other 
products of the cotton plant at present almost always 
wasted, but which are capable of being utilized, namely, 
the seed, and the fibre obtainable from the bark of the 
plant. Dr. Coxe, of New Orleans, states that "an 
increased value of more than £7,600,000 sterling might 
be given to the cotton crop of the United States by 
utilizing the cotton seed, which is now almost wholly 
w T asted." He says — " 100 lbs. of cotton seed will yield 
two gallons of oil, equal to that of Italy termed 8 salad 
oil' — and it sells in New Orleans at four shillings per 
gallon (in New York, six shillings per gallon) ; 48 lbs. 
of oil-cake (equal or superior to linseed-cake), and fij 
lbs. of soap stock, which, with ingredients of small value, 
will make 20 lbs. of soap, equal to the best European 
kinds," 

The stalk of the cotton plant contains a fibre not 
unlike coarse flax, and an experiment in America upon 
120 lbs. of stalk resulted in producing, when steeped 
and dressed with flax machinery, forty pounds of thread 
suitable for weaving bagging and other coarse cloth. 
If the stalk were properly macerated, it could, doubt- 
less, be made into paper. 

Ridge planting : Where the land is flat, the practice 
of throwing it up into high ridges or beds, and sowing 



hockings garden manual. 



151 



on the top. as is done in America, may, no doubt, be 
followed with advantage. 

Manure : As most of the land of the Sea Island 
plantations is so much impregnated with salt as to be 
apparent to the eye, and some of it but recently re- 
claimed from salt marshes, it is but reasonable to 
suppose that saline manures would be most suitable to 
the Sea Island cotton crop in this colony. 



COFFEE. 

The coffee plant thrives and bears most abundantly 
in rich friable soil on the slopes of hills, protected 
from high winds ; but the small berry produced in the 
sandy, dry, hot soil and arid climate of Arabia has the 
advantage in flavor. In the West Indies the mango 
and other fast-growing, umbrageous trees are planted 
on the upper part of the land to protect the plantation 
from wind. Bananas are also used for shelter, planted 
in rows about every fourth row of coffee. The plants 
at present in a bearing state in the vicinity of Brisbane 
do not appear to have suffered from the absence of 
shelter ; but it is as well to observe the practice of 
other countries where the plant is successfully grown, 
and only plant on the sides of hills where they will be 
protected from prevailing winds. 

Plant in good soil at eight feet apart, giving shelter 
and water if required until the plants are well esta- 
blished. March or April would be a good time for 
transplanting in favorable weather, as the plants would 
make new roots before the winter stopped them, and 
there would be less risk of loss from a dry spring ; in 
dripping seasons, transplanting may be performed as 
late as August and September. As the plants grow, 
the tops are generally stopped, to prevent their grow- 
ing too tall, and to encourage the production of lateral 



152 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



shoots. The berries are gathered when they begin to 
fall, and, after having the outside pulp removed, are 
dried on cloths or mats under sheds until the husks 
shrivel ; they are then passed through between wooden 
rollers, which separate the seed from the husk : are 
then winnowed, sifted, cleaned, dried in the sun for a 
few days, and barrelled up for market. The produce in 
Jamaica is about one and a-half to two pounds per 
tree ; but the return is much greater from the single 
trees grown near Brisbane. An industrious man 
gathers three bushels a day. 

There are several varieties of coffee, and in Ceylon 
they have a small sort called the peaberry coffee, which 
the planters keep for their own use, the flavor of which 
is said to be very superior ; but, as the produce is not 
so great as the larger variety, it is not much grown for 
market. 

In Ceylon the coffee is planted among the stumps and 
fallen timber. It is not found to thrive there in low 
situations, or on table lands, although they may be of 
the requisite elevation. The planters assert that 
abundance of rocks are almost indispensable to the 
proper growth of the shrub ; and the best estates have 
been invariably those which, well sheltered and shaded, 
are situated in such an amphitheatre-like depression on 
the side of a lofty mountain as ensures a rich soil — the 
accumulation of ages — a plentiful supply of moisture, 
and perfect drainage. 

The infusion of coffee is seldom tasted in perfection. 
The subtle aroma which resides in the essential oil of 
the berry is gradually dissipated after roasting, and 
still more after being ground. In order to enjoy the 
full flavor, the berry should pass at once from the 
roasting-pan to the mill, and thence to the coffee-pot ; 
and again, after having been made, should be mixed, 
when almost at boiling heat, with the hot milk. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



153 



TEA. 

The tea plants may be placed on a gentle slope, at 
the distance of six feet apart. Transplanting may be 
done in August if the ground is in a favorable condi- 
tion, and the plants should have shelter and water if 
requisite until they are established. In China the 
plants are three years old before the leaves are gathered; 
there are then three gatherings, at one month apart, on 
which occasions three classes of tea are gathered. This 
is performed with great care : the leaves are picked off 
one by one. At the first gathering, only the unex- 
panded and tender are taken ; at the second, those that 
are full grown; and at the third, the coarsest. A picker 
collects from 30 to 50 lbs. of green leaf per day. 

The tea leaves are cured in houses which contain 
from five to ten or twenty small furnaces, about three 
feet high, each having at the top a large, flat iron pan. 
There is also a long, low table, covered with mats, on 
which the leaves are laid, and rolled by workmen who 
sit round it ; the iron pan being heated to a certain 
degree by a little fire made in the furnace beneath, a 
few pounds of the fresh-gathered leaves are put upon the 
pan, and it is the business of the operator to shift them 
as quickly as possible with his bare hands, until they 
become too hot to be easily endured. At this instant 
he takes off the leaves with a kind of shovel resembling 
a fan, and pours them on the mats before the rollers, 
who, taking shall quantities at a time, roll them in the 
palms of their hands in one direction, while others are 
fanning them that they may cool the more speedily, 
and retain their curl the longer. This process is re- 
peated two or three times, or oftener, before the tea is 
put into the stores, in order that all the moisture of 
the leaves may be thoroughly dissipated, and their curl 
more completely preserved. On every repetition the 
pan is less heated, and the operation performed more 



154 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



slowly and cautiously. The tea is then separated into 
different kinds, and deposited in the store for domestic 
use or exportation. 

One choice kind of tea is scented with orange 
flowers when fully expanded. Forty pounds of the 
flowers, fresh gathered under the trees, are mixed with 
one hundred pounds of perfectly dry tea. and they are 
left together for twenty-four hours, when the orange 
flowers are sifted out. 

The tea leaves are gathered when full grown, but 
tender. If left to get hard they are useless for manu- 
facturing or rolling. Four pounds of the green leaf 
will make about one pound of manufactured tea. 

The plant sports considerably by seed, and careful 
and intelligent selection would result in obtaining some 
very superior sorts. The Indian tea planters appear 
to be paying some attention to this. 

Some rather extensive plantations have been made 
in America, and tea of excellent quality has been pre- 
pared. The Americans, as usual, have shown their 
originality by departing from the universal method of 
preparing the leaf by rolling it. and merely dry it. 
Long usage has so accustomed us to see the tea rolled, 
and to expect the best quality to be the most compactly 
compressed, that the unrolled leaf would not at first 
command a high market price. The prejudice would, 
however, soon be dispelled if the quality was found to 
be good : and the Americans found this to be the re- 
sult. 

GrINGrER. 

The ginger of commerce is the tuberous root of a 
perennial plant. It delights in a rich peaty soil, 
pretty moist, in which it will grow luxuriantly, ex- 
tending under ground, and sending up at each joint 
its rush-like stalks. It is propagated by division of 
the roots, and may be planted in rows two feet apart 



bookings' garden manual. 



155 



during October and November; plants one foot apart 
in the rows. 

To prepare the white ginger for market, dig it up 
when quite ripe and the stalks are dead ; select the 
finest and soundest roots \ carefully wash, scrape, and 
dry them. 

To make preserved ginger, dig the roots up when 
nearly full grown, and quite tender ; after being washed, 
scald and scrape them. Let them stand in cold water 
about twenty-four hours, changing the water three or 
four times ; boil in syrup for t welve hours ; make fresh 
syrup and boil again for twelve hours ; pack in jars 
and cover with the syrup. 



CHICORY— (Chicorium Intybus). 

The vast quantity of chicory imported, and subse- 
quently retailed under the name of coffee, should 
afford sufficient inducement to some enterprising farmer 
to enter upon the cultivation of this plant. 

Soil and situation : The soil should be rich, light, 
and moist, but not wet ; and the situation open. 

Cultivation : Prepare the soil early in August, and 
sow in drills two feet apart ; cover slightly. When 
the plants are large enough to handle, they may be 
transplanted in wet weather. If the surplus plants 
are not required, they will have to be hoed out to nine 
inches or one foot apart in the row^s, according to the 
richness of the soil. The leaves may be blanched and 
used as endive, and the surplus will be found valuable 
at fodder. If too luxuriant, and the foliage is not 
used for the foregoing purposes, it should be thinned 
to prevent the plants smothering each other. As the 
seed is slow to germinate, it should only be sown on 
clean land, or it will be smothered by quick-growing 
weeds. The produce in Victoria is said to have been 
as much as twenty-five tons per acre — the average at 
home being about fourteen tons. 



15G 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



CULTURE OP HOPS, 

The hop is a hardy perennial rooted twiner, growing 
to the height of fifteen to twenty feet, the top being 
annual. The male and female flowers are produced 
on different plants ; the female is the one used for plant- 
ing, with a few male plants to form seed, which adds 
greatly to the flavor of hops. It is, probably, the 
most precarious crop that is grown, being liable to dis- 
aster from the moment of sprouting in the spring until 
the hop is ready for the kiln, and the market value is 
therefore very variable. Considerable success has 
attended its cultivation in Tasmania, New Zealand, 
Victoria, and South Australia, the returns not only 
being fairly satisfactory, but the quality being good, 
and, therefore, effectively competing with the imported 
article. 

The cost of cultivation in the southern colonies has 
been from forty to sixty pounds sterling per acre, the 
produce varying from 300 lbs. to 1,600 lbs. per acre. 

Some experiments have been made in hop cultivation 
on the Darling Downs, to test the suitability of the 
soil and climate, and with such results as to induce 
extended planting. 

A hop farm generally lasts in full vigor for ten years. 
It is a most exhausting crop, and requires to be liberally 
manured in all its stages. Superphosphate of lime, 
guano, stable manure, fresh wood ashes, and salt 
would provide most of the wants of the plant. The 
hop plant ranks high as an ornamental climber, the 
growth being luxuriant and the foliage handsome. In 
garden culture it may be propagated by cuttings of the 
ends of the shoots. 



INDIGO. 

The indigo plant is well suited to the soil and cli- 
mate of northern Queensland, and, where cheap labor 
is available, it may be grown to profit. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



157 



Soil : Heavy soil produces the best return ; but it 
grows well in the lighter soils, and they are easier cul- 
tivated. 

Cultivation : The land should be well worked, to 
prepare it for this crop. 

Sowing : After the prepared land has been again 
ploughed and harrowed, if the soil is damp in the be- 
ginning of September, sow the seed broadcast at the 
rate of 35 or 40 lbs per acre, harrowing it in and rolling 
the surface. During the first two months the crop 
must be well cleaned once or twice, and the horse-rake 
may be passed over it to loosen the surface and destroy 
the young weeds. The crop is ripe in about ninety 
days, and should be cut without delay, or some of the 
lower leaves will fall and be lost. The appearance of 
the ripe plant must be learned by experience. 

Manufacture : An interesting paper on this subject, 
written by an indigo-planter, will be found in the 
Queenslander newspaper of November, 1873. 



THE SUGAR-CANE. 

The the ten years which have elapsed since the ap- 
pearance of the first edition of this work, have sufficed 
to establish the sugar industry as one of the most 
important in the colony. And as the cultivation of 
the sugar-cane is now more generally understood, it will 
not be necessary to give any very minute instructions 
on the subject. 

Forty or fifty varieties of cane have been introduced 
and tested ; but these have been grouped in classes, and 
are generally spoken of as ribbon, Bourbon, and purple 
canes. The Bourbon and purple canes are easier to 
trash than the ribbon. In coming to maturity the 
purple canes are earliest, ripening in from ten to fifteen 
months ; the Bourbons follow next in rotation, and the 
ribbons last. 



l r )8 



bookings' garden manual. 



A fair average crop of cane would be about 25 to 26 
tons, which, at a density of the juice marking 10° 
Baume, would yield about 3 tons of sugar and 5 cwt. 
of molasses per acre. 

Soil, dec. : A deep, rich, loamy soil, damp, but not re- 
tentive of water, is the most suitable for the growth of 
sugar-cane. The situation should be warm in the 
southern part of the colony, to guard against injury 
from frost in severe winters ; and it should be such as 
to afford shelter from high winds. 

Planting, &c. : The soil should be drained of all 
stagnant water, at the least six inches deeper than it 
is intended to plough it ; the depth to which it should 
be ploughed is eighteen inches ; and on a porous 
subsoil no drainage will be necessary. To prepare for 
planting, run a light plough over the land, and mark 
furrows four feet six inches to five feet apart, and cross 
furrows at the same intervals. At each intersection of 
the lines make a hole about two feet long, and a clear 
foot deep, being two inches wide at the bottom. See 
that the earth is carefully banked up, so that it will 
not fall into the holes. All is now ready for planting. 
The best sets are pieces of healthy, well-grown, ripe 
cane, containing four well-developed buds and joints ; 
the smooth, hard covering over the buds, which is part 
of the foot-stalk of the former leaf, should not be 
removed. The cane being cut into lengths containing 
four joints, one may be placed along the bottom of each 
hole, and covered one inch deep with soil, not deeper. 
The cuttings should not be exposed to the sun and air, 
but be planted immediately they are cut. The shoots 
will generally appear in ten or fourteen days, and, 
when six inches high, one inch more earth may be 
carefully drawn on to the sets. Avoid putting too 
much earth upon them, as it would greatly interfere 
with their growth and vigor, but gradually fill up the 
holes as the joints of the cane become visible. In 
young plantations the hoe should be almost incessantly 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



159 



at work, as the stirring of the soil stimulates the growth 
of the crop ; after rain it is very important. In older 
plantations the soil is covered with thrash, and the 
surface is kept continually light and open. The plant- 
ing should not be less than twelve inches deep, or the 
crop might be destroyed in a season of drought or by 
a gale. The ribbon cane is said to require one or two 
feet more space than other sorts, in consequence of its 
lateral growth after the first season. 

Some growers recommend the canes being planted 
closer than is here directed. If such a course be 
adopted, extra vigilance will be required in keeping the 
canes well trashed, by constantly stripping off all dead 
leaves. 

Planting may be performed during August, Sep- 
tember, October, and November. When deferred to 
a later period, the shoots have not time to make much 
growth before the cold nights check them ; but they 
form a number of buds and a mass of roots, which 
enable the plants to push out vigorously early the fol- 
io win £• season. 

The plantation should be manured every year, 
and the surface broken up with the light plough or 
cultivator. 



LIQUORICE— (Glycyrrhiza Glabra). 

From the roots of this plant the w^ell-known liquorice 
of commerce is prepared. The roots extend a consi- 
derable distance, and send up strong herbaceous stems 
four feet to five feet high. It thrives in a rich light 
soil, at least thirty inches to three feet deep, trenched 
the full depth and manured. The situation should be 
open, and the soil must be rich. 

Planting : In July or August take the horizontal 
roots which run from the crown along the surface of 
the ground, and cut them into lengths of six inches ; 
lay these, eighteen inches asunder, along trenches two 



160 



HOCKINGS* GARDEN MANUAL. 



inches deep, the rows being three feet apart ; cover the 
whole with earth. A single crop of lettuces or other 
salad may be taken between the rows the first season, 
the bed being kept quite clear of weeds. 

The only cultivation is to cut down the dead stems 
annually, and dig with a fork between the rows to re- 
fresh the surface. 

After three or four years the crop is ready to take, 
in doing which a trench must be thrown out along the 
first row to the full depth of the roots, probably three 
feet — trenching the whole bed in the same manner, to 
get out the roots unbroken and without waste. 



THE CAPER— (Capparis Spinosa), 

The caper is a hardy, deciduous, trailing shrub, 
growing to the height of three feet, of the flower buds 
of which the well-known pickle is formed. In the 
south of Italy and other places it grows wild on old 
walls, rocks, and ruins ; from which it may be inferred 
that it requires rather a dry, open soil. It may be 
propagated by seeds, cuttings, or pieces of the root ; it 
has the habit of the bramble ; and a plant growing in 
the open air in England is said to have attained the 
age of nearly one hundred years. The root has such 
vigor that, although the plant may be cut down an- 
nually by the frost, it covers the space with fresh shoots 
the next season, and produces a crop of buds. It grows 
freely in the Brisbane district, and may be propagated 
in spring by striking the lateral shoots when one inch 
long, in sand, 



THE CINNAMON TREE— (Cinnamonum Dulce.) 

The cinnamon tree is perfectly hardy in Brisbane, 
and grows with great luxuriance. A peaty loam is 
recommended as the most suitable soil for it ; but in 



H0CKIXGS ? GARDEN MANUAL. 



161 



Ceylon it grows in white sand. It is a handsome ever- 
green shrub, and is propagated by layers, cuttings, and 
seed. 

The preparation of the spice from the bush is very 
simple. Sticks, as straight as possible, three or four 
feet long, are cut from the bushes in large numbers — 
the thickest not much stouter than one's thumb, the 
thinnest not so small as one's little finger ; these sticks 
are held by the operator in his left hand, resting 
lengthwise on his forearm, whilst, with a sharp knife 
prepared for the purpose, he cuts the bark down the 
entire length of the stick, and then peels it off, endea- 
vouring to retain the pieces of as great a length and 
breadth as possible ; the strips of bark are then 
thoroughly dried in the sun, rolled up into thin 
cylinders, the smaller ones being placed within the 
larger, and packed for exportation. 

A spurious camphor is prepared from the roots of 
this tree, but the camphor of commerce is the produce 
of the cinnamonum camphor a. 



THE CASTOR OIL PLANT. 

(Ricinus Communis). 

This plant grows with great luxuriance over a large 
area of the country, especially in rich, well-drained 
soil, and produces heavy crops of seed. Like most 
plants which are raised from seed, it sports into many 
varieties ; and in countries where it is grown for manu- 
facturing purposes, they possess special sorts which are 
highly valued, some of which were received by the 
local Acclimatization Society, and distributed several 
years ago. The most approved sorts were rather small 
seed, but very solid, and rich in oil. Size is no recom- 
mendation, as the large seed is often hollow, and does 
not yield much oil. Another very important quality 
has also to be considered in selecting seed for planting, 

M 



162 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



namely, the manner in which the plant casts its seed, 
Some sorts ripen few seeds at a time, and shed them 
directly, by which much of the crop is lost ; others are 
so difficult to shed, that the seed is injured in thrash- 
ing. To obtain the greatest combination of good 
qualities, Dr. Bancroft, after numerous experiments, 
by hybridising the plant, succeeded in raising a variety 
which he considered to be worth preserving, and, with 
that object, the writer grows a few plants of it. 

As the tree would grow and produce heavy crops on 
sandy wastes, otherwise sterile and valueless, and there 
is a ready market for the oil, it offers some inducement 
to utilise such positions in this manner. The return 
would be about <£10 per acre. 



ARTIFICIAL GRASSES. 

With the occupation of the Agricultural Reserves^ 
it is to be hoped a more perfect system of farming will 
gradually be introduced. Hitherto, it has been com- 
mon to find men, after a few desultory attempts, relin- 
quishing cultivation, because they made more profit 
from their few heads of cattle (feeding upon unsold 
Crown lands) than they did from the cultivation of the 
soil ; but the sort of farming we want, and which 
would yield the best return to the farmer, would in- 
clude the growth of fodder for the cattle, that they 
might supply manure to increase the crops. Is is the 
opinion of the writer that every farm should have a 
certain number of cattle, sheep, and pigs, the manure 
from which would double, and in many cases treble, 
the produce of the fields. No farm can be carried on 
successfully for any lengthened period without manure. 
The same crops year after year impoverish the soil, 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



163 



and the farmer complains that the land is " worn out;" 
this can only be cured by manure, growing a totally 
different crop, or giving it rest by laying it down in 
grass for a few years. Sheep farming is known to pay 
well ; but we feel sure that if the farmers were to add 
a small flock of sheep to their stock they would get a 
far better return, in proportion to the capital invested, 
than the large squatters do. 

Clover and grass paddocks would enable our farmers 
to supply good butter throughout the winter, or fatten 
their spare stock for the shambles. 

Lucerne mown for hay will yield five or six cuttings 
in the season, which, at the present price (£8 to £10 
per ton), affords a very tempting return. Take the 
average cuttings as only four per annum, and the 
weight only one and a-half tons, at £&, we have a 
return of forty-eight pounds sterling per acre per 
annum j and one sowing will last for twenty years. 
Some enterprising farmer's have tried it successfully, 
and their example should be followed. 

Most encouraging results attended an experiment 
with a flock of sheep fed in a lucerne paddock. The 
wool was much longer, and the fleece half as heavy 
again, as from sheep in a similar flock fed in the usual 
manner on the natural grasses. This, however, was 
not the only advantage, as the wool sold for a higher 
price per pound in consequence of its extra length. 

The value of lucerne for grazing is so well uncler- 
stood now by all improving squatters, that extensive lu- 
cerne paddocks are provided for then stud flocks, during 
winter and spring, and larger areas are being sown. 

The native grassses have hitherto been found unfit 
for cultivation, and in the rich agricultural districts of 
New South Wales they are everywhere giving place 
to imported grasses. The consequence is that five 
beasts can now be fattened on the same land that 
would have starved one previously ; and then dairy 
produce is so abundant that tht teeming thousands 



164 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



residing in Sydney and Melbourne depend on them 
for a supply of butter during the greater portion of 
the year. 

A good mixture for ordinary soils (sub-soiled, and 
manured if necessary), is— rye-grass, cocksfoot, cov>- 
grass, ribgrass, sweet vernal, oat-grass, birdsfoot trefoil, 
soft grass, perennial rye-grass, Alsyke clover, and prairie 
grass. This mixture would suit both horses and cattle, 
and give early and late feed. 

For sheep-paddocks, a little mustard-seed mixed with 
the grasses would be beneficial, and, for stock, mix 
some parsley. 

Mr. Moore, the Director of the Botanic Gardens, 
Sydney, in the course of a lecture on " Structural and 
Systematic Botany," in remarks upon the comparative 
value of imported grasses, made the following sugges- 
tions as to the mixtures best adapted for the different 
soils and situations. He said : — "In the Illawarra 
and Camden districts, whence the best dairy produce 
was received, the farmers were not depending upon 
Australian grass. The two most valuable grasses for 
this colony would be the Poa pratensis and the Fes- 
tuca pratensis. The advantage they had in this country 
over all others was, that they would grow in the most 
exposed situations, and the first, even under trees. 
It would stand the hot weather even better than the 
common couch grass, and in winter grow in great 
luxuriance. The grasses, then, that he should recom- 
mend were — for dry soils : Poa pratensis smooth- 
stalked meadow grass ; Poa trivialis, rough-stalked 
meadow grass ; anthoxanthum ooloratum, sweet vernal 
grass ; festuca ovina, sheep fescue grass ; festuca durius- 
cula, hard fescue grass; festuca pratensis, meadow 
fescue grass ; festuca elatior, tall fescue grass; dactylis 
glomerata, cocksfoot grass. For wet soils : Holcus 
lanatus, meadow soft grass ; holcus mollis, creeping soft 
grass ; agrostis abba, moist bent grass ; agrostis stolo- 
nifera, creeping bent grass ; Lolium perenne var, Itali- 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



165 



cum, Italian rye-grass. Grasses, as a general rule, 
possessed no poisonous qualities ; but there was one 
species, the olium temulentum, that was, unfortunately, 
becoming very common here. The kangaroo grass of 
this colony was fast disappearing. In the northern 
districts (Jynodon dactylon had followed in the steps of 
man. So valuable had this grass been found in More- 
ton Bay, that a friend had written to him to say that 
now, " instead of having to enclose a hundred-acre 
paddock for horses, a small paddock of four acres 
sown with this grass has been found sufficient to pro- 
vide feed for half-a-dozen horses." 

The prairie grass is now highly valued in the 
adjoining colonies, and the more it is known the better 
it is appreciated. It requires a deep rich soil, pre- 
pared as for oats. If sown alone, twenty pounds of 
seed per acre will be sufficient ; but to make a thorough 
good bottom, about three pounds of cow-grass (per- 
ennial red clover), three pounds of perennial rye-grass, 
with fifteen pounds of prairie grass, will be required. 
It produces a great quantity of seed, which it sheds 
very freely j and the quantity of fodder produced per 
acre is almost incredible. Its feeding and fattening 
capabilies are veiy great, and if the crop is cut green, 
it will yield four to six good cuttings in suitable soil. It 
is rapidly spreading in some parts of the Darling Downs, 
the flooded water-courses floating the seed away, and 
distributing it in every direction. 



LUCERNE. 

The soiljfor lucerne should be deep, ric h, and friable, 
with a porous subsoil, in which no water could stand 
in the wettest seasons ; it should be free from weeds 
and weed seed, and thoroughly pulverised. These 
being all necessary conditions to success, and the 
absence of one or other of them being the cause of 



166 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



most of the failures in the attempts to cultivate this 
valuable plant, it is thought by many to be unworthy 
of their attention ; but the Author fearlessly asserts 
that, under favorable circumstances, it yields a larger 
return per acre, and for a longer period, than any other 
fodder-plant in cultivation. 

The land should be prepared during summer by 
thorough exposure to the sun in high ridges, taking 
care to cross-plough and harrow before the weeds begin 
to seed. The ]and being prepared by deep ploughing 
and minute pulverization, the seed may be sown broad- 
cast, from February to J uly, at the rate of twenty-five 
pounds per acre, and may be covered about an inch 
deep by the use of a light harrow. Some growers 
prefer a spring sowing (as it makes little progress dur- 
ing the winter), and consider July the most favorable 
period for sowing. Others recommend a light crop of 
oats to nurse the young plants. 

If, when sown by itself, weeds should come up 
thickly, and threaten to choke the crop (which is very 
tender the first six months, until the tap root has time 
to get hold of the soil), mow the field carefully before 
the weeds seed, and the most of them, being annuals, 
will then perish. Before a succession can have time 
to rise up and do any damage, the lucerne will have 
gained sufficient strength to make head against them. 

Lucerne may be transplanted to fill up blanks. 

A large quantity of forest land would return good 
crops of lucerne by the aid of manure, and, not being 
so liable to injury by floods, might, in the long run, pay 
better than the richer flats. A good double ploughing 
and cross-ploughing, following with a second plough in 
the bottom of the furrow at the first ploughing, and 
turning in sixty or eighty loads of manure to the acre 
with the second ploughing, would be a fair preparation 
of the land ; and, if time would allow a crop of maize 
to be taken from the land, the additional cultivation 
would improve its texture. 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL, 



167 



The growing field of lucerne should be frequently 
examined, and all yellow, stunted, or unhealthy patches 
noted, that the necessary cure may be immediately 
applied, whether it be a dressing of manure, or the 
draining of a hollow. 

Land that is lucerne sick, through the long con- 
tinuance of the crop on the ground, and not through 
want of manure or bad cultivation, is thoroughly re- 
covered by two years' rest. Either fallow a season, 
and the following year take a crop of potatoes or corn, 
after which lucerne may be sown again ; or green 
fallow the land for two years, taking one crop of some 
cereal each year. 

The after culture of lucerne, sown broadcast, consists 
in harrowing to destroy grass anc { other weeds : rolling 
after harrowing, to smooth the soil for the scythe ; and 
a top-dressing of manure once a year. 

One great enemy to lucerne is decider (Cuscuta 
Austral is), a parasite plant which infests the crop in 
New South Wales, and has been introduced here with 
the seed from that colony. Wherever it makes its 
appearance over the field it should be carefully cut 
out, and every little piece removed and burned. 
Whatever plants may have been destroyed by it should 
be replaced by transplanting in the first favorable 
weather. 



THE SORGHUM MILLET. 

(Sorghum Saccharatum). 

This valuable fodder plant is easy of cultivation, 
and is more hardy and productive than other crops 
raised for that purpose. 

The soil should be rich, not too heavy, and well and 
deeply ploughed. 

If intended for fodder cut green, the seed may be 
sown broadcast ; but if for seed, it should be sown in 
rows three feet apart, the seed being not more than one 



168 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



inch deep, two or three in a hole, twelve inches apart 
in the rows. By this arrangement the plough or cul- 
tivator will have room to pass between the rows to 
keep down the weeds. 

In July prepare the soil, and sow the seed in August. 
Other sowings mav be made in suitable weather during 
February and March. The crop takes about four 
months to ripen the seed, and, for green fodder, will 
yield several cuttings in favorable seasons. It is not 
liable to lodge in heavy rains, withstands high winds 
with little damage, is not injured by frost, and will 
exist and even thrive in a season of drought which 
would prove destructive to most other crops. The 
green stuff is easily cured by stacking it after it is 
dried, and the cattle eat it as greedily dry as green. 

The average yield of seed is said to be thirty bushels 
per acre, and the seed coverings are valuable for dyeing; 
the exterior pellicule gives a dark purple, and the 
inner coat a bright yellow. 



NATURAL GRASSES, &c. 

Two essays upon this important subject competed 
for a prize offered at the Toowoomba Show in August, 
1875. They were written respectively by Mr. Angus 
Mackay, the indefatigable editor of the Queenslander, 
and Mr. F. M. Bailey, the talented author of the 
Ferns of Queensland. While the country is but 
partially occupied, a practical consideration of this 
question will not be forced upon the people ; but the 
time is near when its immense importance will be felt, 
and when that time has arrived, the information col- 
lected in the two papers referred to will be found useful 
as the basis of further investigation. 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



169 



HOVEN CATTLE. 

Cattle are liable to be injured by eating excessively 
of young grass, and from other causes. As the disten- 
tion of the beast is chiefly occasioned by carbonic acid 
gas, any substance which will combine with that gas 
will reduce it. Such a substance is readily found in 
ammonia (hartshorn), a spoonful of which, in water, 
forced down the animal's throat, completely removes 
the distention. 



FIBRE PLANTS. 

With the rapid extension of agricultural operations 
consequent upon a large and continuous influx of popu- 
lation, it has been thought desirable to introduce to 
public notice in a brief manner several plants suitable 
to the climate, from which an article could be manu- 
factured, by simple machinery, for which there would 
be an unlimited demand. If all the farmers of a 
certain district grow one or two articles of local con- 
sumption, it is very probable that the competition will 
soon reduce the price until the cultivation is unremu- 
nerative. This is nearly the state in the Brisbane 
district at present, and if any additional article of export 
can be profitably grown, it will be a great relief to the 
farming interest. 



CHINESE GRASS CLOTH. 
(Bcehmeria Nivea, or " Ramie.") 

This hardy plant grows with the utmost luxuriance 
in Queensland in any good soil, and, as it produces 
abundance of suckers, and the smallest piece of root 



170 



BLOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



will grow, its cultivation could be extended indefinitely 
in a short time. 

Great improvements have recently been made in the 
Southern American States in the machinery for prepar- 
ing the fibre, by which the plant maybe cleaned on the 
field, the refuse being left for manure. The fibre is 
then dried, becoming comparatively pure, white, and 
silky, divested entirely of gum, and prepared for baling 
and for spinning. With the improved machinery, one 
laborer can clean the product of ten acres, and one acre 
will yield at least two tons, making a total of twenty 
tons to the hand. The fibre is estimated to be worth 
,£40 per ton. Some cultivators of Alameda got Gilbert 
Lyman to report upon an improved machine. He 
reports as follows : — " I found Lefranc's machine at 
work on the stalks of ramie raised in Louisiana. It 
turns out 600 lbs. of clean fibre per day — doing its 
work with ease and perfection ; I send you samples. 
This is an improvement on the first machine by this 
maker, and it costs more. The price is §-500, if boxed 
for shipment. It has made a revival of interest among 
planters, and there will be a large increase of produc- 
tion. I find that moist land is preferred, where the 
ramie yields three cuttings a year. I have seen several 
fields that have been cropped the third year, and they 
expect it to bear many years without replanting. It 
seems to give less trouble than cotton. 

In Louisiana some of the planters are replacing the 
sugar-cane with ramie, which does not require replant- 
ing, demands comparatively little labor in cultivation, 
and entails no great expense for machinery to prepare 
it for market. So far as known, it has no insect ene- 
mies ; its fibre is less bulky and more easily transported 
than cotton, and it is sure of a ready sale at remunera- 
tive prices. The fibre, which forms its commercial 
product, is the inner bark of the stem, and, when ex- 
posed to view by separation from the husk, presents a 
brilliant, pearl-white lustre, This fibre is longer and 



bookings' garden manual. 



171 



more uniform than any other except silk ; it is stronger 
and more elastic than either hemp or flax ; takes color 
as well as a good quality of silk ; and, when properly 
prepared from the raw material, may be spun into fine 
yarn, suitable for mixing with wool in the manufacture 
of delaines, worsteds, and other light fabrics. With- 
out admixture it can be woven into fabrics, which, it is 
said, will surpass the finest linens in beauty, strength, 
and durability. The ramie fibre has also the felting 
quality superior to either fur or wool." 

Large , tracts of land in the south of France and 
Algeria have been planted with China-grass ; but the 
demand is so great for the fabrics manufactured from it 
that the markets cannot be supplied. The stalks must 
be stripped in their green state, as this plant is not 
steeped like hemp aud flax. The exquisitely fine and 
silk -like muslins and cambrics made of this fibre are 
familiar in France and Algiers, though their present 
costliness places them only within the reach of the rich. 



MUSA TEXTILUS, or MANILA BANANA. 

It is from the leaf stems of this plant that the 
Manila hemp is made. The fibre is in great demand 
for a variety of purposes, and is generally sold at £50 
to £60 per ton. The machinery by which the fibre is 
prepared in Manila is of the cheapest} and most primi- 
tive description : full particulars, accompanied with 
tracings, were received from there some years ago. 
The removal of the cellular tissue was the great diffi- 
culty experienced here in the preparation of the fibre, 
some of which was sent to the Great Exhibition. This 
sort of banana is grown in Brisbane, and may be 
distinguised by the red skin of the fruit. Several of 
the bananas yield fibre, and that prepared from the 
Musa Dacca (pear banana), and Musa Maculata (the 



172 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



large common variety), are said to he quite equal to 
this. The estimated produce of fibre is a "picul " of 
133 lbs. per 100 plants. 



PHORMIUM TENAX, or NEW ZEALAND FLAX. 

This plant grows well in Queensland, the demand is 
unlimited, and the preparation simple. It requires a 
damp, rich, sandy loam. It seeds freely in the Bris- 
bane district, and persons desirous of growing it could 
therefore soon provide themselves with a supply of 
young plants. It is used in the colonies for cordage, 
wool lashings, &c. , and by upholsterers for stuffing, and 
numerous other purposes. 



THE COTTON PLANT. 

The cultivation of this plant is simple, its growth 
luxuriant, and its stems yield a good fibre. 



THE PINE APPLE. 

A fibre of the most beautiful description is pre- 
pared from the leaf of the pine apple, producing a fabric 
as light as gossamer. 



THE HOP. 

From the fibre of this plant a strong cloth is made. 
It is not yet cultivated in this colony, but in Tasmania 
and the neighboring colonies it grows to perfection, 
and the climate of the Darling Downs is likely to 
suit it. 



The hollyhock, tree mallow, hemp, white mulberry, 
aloe, and numerous others, might also be mentioned as 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



173 



producing good fibre. Most of the leading fibre plants 
of commerce may be seen growing in the season, in the 
Brisbane Botanic Garden, and Mr. Hill is ever ready 
to explain their merits. 



DRYING FRUITS. 

The preparation of dried fruits forms an important 
industry in many countries on the Continent of Europe, 
and has assumed gigantic proportions in some of the 
American States. South Australia, among the Aus- 
tralian colonies, appears to take the palm in drying 
fruits for commercial purposes ; but, for home consump- 
tion, this method ought to be largely resorted to 
throughout the southern districts of Queensland, to 
save from waste the surplus apricots and peaches which 
now annually go to decay in the height of the season, 
especially near Brisbane and Toowoomba. 

In America, the "fruit drier" is a necessary adjunct 
to farm-houses in the fruit-growing districts. It con- 
sists of a box eight feet long and two feet square, 
connected at one end with a hot air stove. The box 
is fitted with trays with wire bottoms, and is elevated 
at the other end about two feet, so that the hot air 
entering in at one end traverses the whole length, and 
passes out at the other. Freestone peaches and apricots 
are split open and the stones removed. The round part 
of the fruit is placed downwards on the trays, and, 
when partially dried, the trays nearest the stove are 
removed to the further end of the box, the others being 
pushed down to take their place. Figs could be pre- 
served in the same manner. Apples and clingstone 
peaches are cut into slices and dried. 

Figs appear to find in Aidin (Smyrna) a soil pecu- 
liarly suited to them. When perfectly ripe they fall 
off the trees, and are gathered up every morning, and 



174 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



spread upon ground prepared for the purpose, where 
they are left to dry. Great care is taken that no water 
or dew falls upon them, or they gradually decay. 
Many plantations made in adjacent districts produced 
good figs ; but they would not keep when packed, the 
skin was thick, and was destitute of the delicate flavor 
and sweetness of those grown at Aidin. 

The heavy dews and sudden showers to which we are 
liable will, doubtless, prevent figs being dried by ex- 
posure to the sun's rays only; but it might be accom- 
plished by means of the u fruit drier." 

The " prune d'Angen" and two others are dried 
successfully at Camden Park, New South Wales. The 
former fruit falls from the tree as soon as ripe — that is, 
early in March. Fine litter is placed under the trees, 
and, if the weather is fine, the plums are allowed to 
lie as they fall, being turned over every two or three 
days ; in about ten days they are ready to pack. Slight 
showers only retard the drying ; but continued wet 
hot weather will turn them mouldy. In such cases a 
hot closet is used to dry them, heated from 100° to 120°, 
by hot water pipes. 

** Muscatel raisins and Zante currants are dried at 
Camden on straw hurdles, but they require several 
weeks. If first dipped in boiling lye of wood ashes 
they dry much more rapidly, but lose their bloom and 
fine appearance, and part of their flavor. The currants 
dry very rapidly in fine weather, and prove a very pro- 
ductive crop if in a good situation and well managed. 
The plants should be vigorous, and have ample room ; 
and at pruning, six times the usual quantity of bearing 
wood should be left. They should be well matured 
before being gathered. 

The hurdles are made of tough sawn pine, 5 feet by 
3 feet ; the two heads should be 3 in. by 2 in. , and the 
cross-bars, with centre stay, be 2| or 3 inches by |. 
Long straw is woven in between the bars, or otherwise 



BOOKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



175 



secured to them close enough to prevent the fruit from 
falling through. In showerv weather the hurdles can 
be stood on one another, and covered from rain. 

The sorts of grapes generally grown in the south of 
Europe for making raisins are — muscat of Alexandria 
muscatel gordo bianco, larga of Malaga ("sun raisins ? '), 
pance, or passe, and arignan of Provence. 

Bananas stripped of their skins and dried make a 
most excellent and palatable addition to the dessert. 

Bottling and Canning fruits would also be a highly 
remunerative industry connected with large orchards ; 
but as the business requires more extensive appliances 
than the space at command will permit us fully to de- 
scribe, we must be content to direct attention to some 
practical articles on the subject which appeared in the 
Queenslaader newspaper on September 18th ; 1875, and 
previously. 

+ 

SERICULTURE. 



THE SILKWORM-(Bombyx Morus). 

The first step necessary on entering upon this en- 
terprise, is obtaining a sufficient plantation of the best 
sort of mulberry. The different kinds vary much in 
quality, and those which are most rich in seric matter 
should have the preference. The mulberry grows very 
freely from cuttings, and may be propagated throughout 
the spring and summer. The sorts recommended for 
this purpose are the white mulberry (morus alba J, the 
moretta (moras morettiana J, and the Manila ( moras 
rnulticav.Hs J. The latter is particularly suitable for 
growing in the form of a shrub : and it and the mor- 
etto are best for the young worms, but the white for 
feeding off with. The distance at which they are 



176 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



planted for this purpose is six to nine feet ; and it is 
considered necessary to allow the trees three to seven 
years' growth to acquire established vigor, before the 
leaves are taken. It is possible that in Queensland, 
where the mulberry grows with so much luxuriance, 
and is in leaf for eight months out of the year, that it 
might bear denuding at an earlier age, during the forty 
or fifty days the worms are feeding. 

Construction of Magnanneries or Breeding 
Houses. 

The following is the description of the largest-sized 
magnannerie, capable of accommodating 20 ounces of 
eggs, or 760,000 worms. It is from the pen of Mr. 
G. E. Cerruti, now managing one of the largest silk 
factories at Ning-po, who, while in Victoria, endeavored 
by his writings to promote sericulture there. It will 
be remembered, however, that the number of worms 
mentioned would require fifty acres of young mulberry 
trees to feed them, and that therefore such a building 
would only be required in a large establishment. In 
small undertakings of this nature, any building or 
chamber well ventilated, thoroughly dry, and free from 
bad smells, will answer the required purpose — th^se 
three conditions, and especially the last, being in all 
cases the essential qualifications of a proper breeding 
house. In describing the building he says : — 

" This edifice should be about thirty or thirty-four 
yards in length, by eleven to twelve in breadth,having 
the principal front to the east, on which side must be 
left ten or twelve openings ; on the opposite side half 
that number ; on the north side four, and on the south 
side two. The height of the building should be 
eighteen or twenty feet, with a roof so elevated as to 
be almost perpendicular, to preserve the interior from 
the direct influence of the sun, which would create too 
much heat during certain hours of the day, and at all 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 177 

times produce an injurious variation in the tempera- 
ture. The interior is to be divided into three parts, of 
which the central one, twenty-one yards in length, is 
to contain the shelves \ the side compartments, about 
five yards each, must be reserved — the southern as a 
depot for the leaves, the northern as the hatching room. 
Internal communication must be provided between the 
three compartments, each of the smaller rooms having 
two doors — one leading into the large room, the other 
into the open air. 

" The arrangement of the hatching room is of the 
greatest importance, and it will be necessary to sur- 
round it with a double lining of stout planks, and erect 
two stoves in the corners of one end. This end of the 
room must be appropriated to the hatching of the 
worms, having little stands prepared to place the worms 
on after they are hatched, so as to regulate at pleasure 
their distance from the fires. 

" The large room should be furnished with wooden 
uprights, supporting sets of five shelves, four yards 
by one and a-half, placed one above another, and dis- 
posed in four rows, so as to leave a passage of one 
yard in width between them, to facilitate the operations 
of the attendants, and ensure free ventilation through- 
out. Shelves, consisting of wooden frames filled with 
a network of iron wire, and covered with wrapping 
paper, are, according to the opinions of the best culti- 
vators, the most economical, as well as the best and 
most healthy. The third room, or depot for leaves, 
must be so arranged as to preserve an atmosphere 
constantly fresh, without being damp. A few tables 
for preparing and cleaning the leaves will be all that is 
required in the way of furniture. The cost of the 
entire building as described may be about £150." 

Hatching. 

" The hatching chamber being heated to about 77° 
Fahrenheit, the eggs are placed on fiat sheets of card- 



178 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



board, at the distance of at least two yards apart, and 
in such a position that they cannot come under the 
direct influence of the fire, taking care to distribute 
each ounce over one or two square feet of surface. 
Afterwards the temperature may be raised from 86° to 
89° Fahrenheit, gradually, moving the eggs from time 
to time, until, having become whiter, they will display 
about the seventh day the first indications of vitality, 
which will be still plainer on the eighth and following 
days. If the operations have been properly conducted, 
and the eggs selected in perfect condition, the hatching 
will generally be completed by the ninth day ; but it is 
usual to leave undisturbed those which may happen to 
remain unhatched until the twelfth day, after which 
tbey are thrown away to avoid too great a difference 
in the ages of the worms, and also because there is 
considerable doubt whether such eggs may not be 
diseased or imperfect. 

" On the first symptoms of the hatching having 
commenced, leaves must be carefully placed on the 
eggs, selecting for the purpose the tenderest that can be 
found ; and care must be taken to separate the worms 
of the first day's birth from those of the second, and so 
on with the rest, in order that their growth may be 
afterwards regulated by placing the youngest nearest 
to the fire, and increasing the distance according to the 
age of the worms." 

In the Brisbane district the worm appears early in 
September, when the mulberry trees are getting into 
full leaf, and as the temperature is naturally all that is 
required in the daytime, it is probable that a well closed 
building would provide the requisite warmth during 
the night. 

The life of the silkworm is divided into five stages, 
which are marked by four seasons of partial torpor or 
sleep, after each of which the skin is cast off. The 
first stage lasts six or eight days from the hatching, 



H0CKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 179 

during which period they should be kept warm, and 
have fresh tender leaves six or seven times a-day. The 
first sleep lasts about a day and a-half, and on their 
awakening they should be carefully classified as to age, 
as it saves much time when the whole on one shelf or 
compartment pass through their several stages together. 
The second stage lasts four to six days, during which 
the temperature may be reduced to an average of 72° ; 
the torpor lasts about thirty-six hours. During the 
third stage the worm eats voraciously; the room should 
be well ventilated, the beds kept clean, and food sup- 
plied four times a day, chiefly of white mulberry. 
After a rest of about thirty hours the worm issues into 
its fourth stage, which lasts seven or eight days, and 
during which it should be fed exclusively on white 
mulberry, or other sort equally rich in seric matter ; 
and the apartments should be kept thoroughly venti- 
lated. The fourth sleep lasts about thirty-five hours, 
after which the worms eat enormously, and their treat- 
ment should be the same ; great cleanliness being 
necessary to preserve them in health. After eight or 
nine days they will acquire a yellowish tint and cease 
to feed. Small bundles of twigs, ferns, &c., should be 
placed round the frames, in which they will spin their 
cocoons, which will take about eight days to complete. 
Within ten days of their commencing to spin, select 
the cocoons which it is intended to preserve for breed- 
ing; choose them for fineness of thread, of oblong 
form, slightly contracted in the waist or middle, solid 
in construction, and avoid those pointed at the extre- 
mities. 

About 250 cocoons will be required to produce an' 
ounce of eggs ; one ounce of eggs will produce about 
38,000 worms, which yield one hundred pounds weight 
of cocoons, worth 2s. per lb. In reeling off the silk 
four threads should be wound together. Six hundred 
pounds weight of cocoons will produce about 100 lbs, 
of silk. 



180 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



The worms produced from an ounce of eggs are 
estimated to consume all the leaves which can be taken 
without injury from two acres of mulberry trees, 
during the first season of picking, which would be the 
second or third year after planting out, according to 
their vigor. Each additional year's growth will enable 
the trees to sustain the worms from a further half 
ounce of eggs. 

In consequence of the large demand in France for 
floss and similar silk, for toys and fancy-work, that 
country presents the best market for perforated cocoons, 
from which the moths have emerged. And the possi- 
bility of making profitable sale of such cocoons for 
" carding," gives further inducement to direct some 
attention to the exportation of grain. 

The Japanese provide the greater part of the grain 
which is imported into Europe, and appear to dust the 
grain over a coarse card, 14 inches x 9 inches, which 
had been sized, and to which it adheres. The cards are 
supposed to contain an ounce of the eggs or grain each, 
and are saleable in France at an average rate of about 
12s. each. One of these Japanese cards, with the egg- 
shells on it, which was sent to the Author some years 
ago, is still in his possession, and will show to those 
interested the manner in which they prepare their grain 
for shipment to France — a trade which is of such 
magnitude as to rank among their chief exports. A 
trade in silk-worm grain has also attained some propor- 
tions in California. 

Where facilities exist for safe transit to a good 
market, the exportation of grain appears very suitable 
to the circumstances of a people entering upon the 
industry, and unskilled in reeling the silk. 

As previously stated, the first year's picking of leaves 
from two acres of mulberry trees will feed the worms 
from one ounce of grain — about 38,000 or 40.000 — 
and as 250 cocoons produce an ounce of grain, therein 
a probable return from these worms of at least 140 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



181 



cards, besides about 80 lbs. of perforated cocoons, which, 
together, would yield an amount sufficiently encourag- 
ing, considering the short period during which the 
worms require attention. When, however, it is re- 
membered that, with the increasing age of the trees, 
they will be able to support a very much larger number 
of worms, there appears every reason to believe that, 
with a ready market for the grain, the pursuit would 
be very remunerative under skilful management. 

On most large farms space could be found for a few 
thousands of mulberry trees, without interfering with 
the ordinary crops, and the silk harvest might be made 
a very acceptable addition to the income. 

The probable returns have here been purposely based 
upon the lowest estimate, and still give fair promise of 
being remunerative. Local experience may yet prove 
the profits to be much greater ; and, if we are spared 
to issue another edition of this work, we shall be glad 
to record the fact. 



AILANTHUS GLANDULOSA- 
(Varnish Tree of Japan). 

This plant has been introduced to public notice in 
consequence of its affording acceptable food to the 
bombyx cynlhia, now known as the ailanthus silkworm. 
This plant is one of the easiest shrubs to grow — there 
is no soil, however bad, in which it will not thrive. 
The seed germinates almost as quickly as wheat ; and 
as it grows freely from cuttings of roots, and also sends 
up abundance of suckers, it is easily propagated. The 
plants should be about three feet apart each way, and 
cut down every year, so that the young shoots may 
spring up and afford tender leaves for the worms ; and, 
by planting them so close that the shoots join each 
other, the worms are enabled to go from one plant to 
another. 



182 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



THE AILANTHUS SILKWORM. 

The cultivation of this silkworm in France is said 
to have been attended with great success ; the hardiness 
of the plant and worm, and the simple management 
having greatly recommended it. 

From the information contained in a pamphlet 
translated by Lady Nevill, from the work of M. F. E. 
Guerin, Manerille, it appears that three generations of 
worms could be produced in Brisbane and the tropical 
districts of Queensland. The eggs do not keep through 
the winter, but the live chrysalis remains inactive dur- 
ing that period, ready to become a butterfly in the 
spring. About forty-five days will elapse between the 
laying of the eggs and the formation of the cocoons, 
and these latter will remain inactive about twenty-six 
days, at the temperature of 70° to 80° Fahrenheit. 
The cocoons to be kept during winter are recommended 
to be strung up, 100 on a line, and kept in a tempera- 
ture not lower than 60°. The eggs hatch at 80° 
Fahrenheit, and the ailanthus leaves should be laid on 
them, that the young worms may climb on them and 
commence feeding ; the leaves ought then to be placed 
in a bottle of water, the ends well stuffed in to prevent 
the worms getting down into the water. When the 
worms are put on the ailanthus trees they should be 
well distributed, not placed too close together, or too 
many on a tree. When once the worms are fixed on 
the leaves of the tree there is no further trouble except 
to see that ants and wasps do not carry them off. The 
cocoons may be gathered about eight or ten days after 
the beginning of the spinning. 

Of the Silk. 

The great drawback to the cultivation of this worm 
is, that no method has yet been discovered of reeling 
off the silk 3 and it consequently has to be solcLas 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



183 



"floss." This floss is, however, of very superior quality, 
being much more glossy than any other ; it also bleaches 
well, is said to last double the time of the silk from 
the mulberry worm, does not spot so easily, washes like 
linen, and takes a good dye. It is manufactured in 
France under the name of galette or fantaisie, and of 
which there is an immense consumption. Mixing it 
with thread and wool, it is largely employed in manu- 
facturing fancy stuffs. The strength of this silk is 
remarkable, and to this is attributable the great 
durability of the Indian foulards, which are composed 
exclusively of it. 



GARDENING CALENDAR. 



CA LEND .V R, 

OF OPERATIONS IN THE 

GARDEN, THE ORCHARD, AND THE FARM, 
FOR EACH MONTH IN THE YEAR. 

JANUARY. 

Kitchen Garden. — Water the vegetable beds freely 
in dry weather, occasionally giving liquid manure. 
When water is required, give a good soaking, or none, 
as a mere sprinkling is rather injurious than other- 
wise. Where water is scarce, much protection may 
be afforded by mulching the ground with stable litter, 
grass, or straw. If a slight dressing of salt was given 
to the beds in spring, as recommended in August and 
September, the advantage will now be felt. All the 
beds now unoccupied should be dug, carefully turning 
in at the bottom of the trench all cabbage leaves, 
turnip tops, and such green refuse, which form a valu- 
able manure. Heavy land should be thrown up 
roTighly, giving the large lumps a sufficient blow just 
to break them asunder. The exposure to the sun will 
greatly improve the texture of such soils. In favor- 
able weather sow French beans, brocoli, cabbage, car- 
rot, cauliflower, celery, mustard, cress, lettuce, endive, 
okra, peas, parsnip, parsley, radish, salsafy, scorzonera, 
prickly spinach, turnip, Brussels sprouts, and a few 
cucumber and melon seeds for late crop. At this 
season particular care must be devoted to the seed 
beds. The seed should be sown thickly in small beds, 
under a portable calico cover, and the beds kept well 
watered until the plants are strong. Tobacco water 



HOCKINGS GARDEN MANUAL. 



187 



or Gishurst Compound should be applied on the first 
appearance of aphis. Gather herbs for drying ; 
gather onions, garlic, and esch allots as the tops die 
down. Plant out cauliflowers, cabbages, &c, in favor- 
able weather, laying a leaf over each, secured in its 
place by a piece of earth, to protect the plant from 
the sun for a few days until the new roots are formed. 
Watch the bee hives, lest the swarms go astray. 

Orchard. — Keep the surface of the ground open 
by lightly forking it over where there is any appear- 
ance of binding ; and straw or other litter under the 
trees to the outer circuit of the foliage will greatly 
protect their roots in dry weather. The fruit should 
be gathered as it ripens. Stop long shoots by pinching 
oft* the ends. Vines should be tied as they grow or 
break loose, as the wind greatly injures the foliage 
by dashing the shoots against the espaliers. Yery 
vigorous branches may be checked and rendered pro- 
ductive by giving the point a downward tendency, or 
curving the shoot downwards. Thin out the fruit 
on those trees which are over burdened. Remove 
suckers, laterals, and water shoots from vines every 
ten days. 

Farm. — Destroy weeds before they seed ; break up 
land in preparation for future crops ; sow Cape barley 
for green fodder, and maize for late crop. 



FEBRUARY. 

Kitchen Garden. — This should be a season of ac- 
tivity, and the store of manure will now be required. 
Dig roughly all the unoccupied beds which have been 
previously trenched, adding well decomposed manure. 
The land not immediately required will be improved 
by the exposure, and the remainder will be ready for 
use the first shower. Transplant cabbages, Brussels 
sprouts, cauliflowers, celery, &c. Sow French beans, 
beet, Brussels sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, celery, 



188 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



mustard, cress, lettuce, endive, onion, peas for main 
crop, parsnips, radish, prickly spinach, and turnips. 
Former sowings should be carefully thinned out and 
kept clear of weeds, that the air may pass freely 
through. Mulch round the melon and cucumber 
holes, to the depth of five or six inches, with a good 
dressing of long stable manure ; draw a small ridge 
of earth round them, at about two feet from the stem, 
to prevent the water running away ; a,nd, if the wea- 
ther is very dry and the plants appear to suffer, give 
about ten to twenty gallons of water in the evening 
to each hole. This will probably not have to be re- 
peated during the season. It is easier and cheaper 
to do the work effectively at once. Light waterings 
are generally very injurious in dry weather ; either 
water copiously or not at all. It is better to depend 
entirely on mulching than to give a mere sprinkling 
of water to plants exposed to the sun at this season. 
Seeds of plants previously selected should be collected 
as they ripen, and before the pods are too brittle. 
Cucumbers, melons, French beans, &c, should be looked 
over every day and gathered as soon as they are ready, 
whether they are required or not ; for, if left on to 
perfect their seeds, the plants soon cease to be produc- 
tive, or form only ill -shaped inferior fruit. 

Orchard. — Tie up loose shoots of the vine, ex- 
tending them out to the sun. If the points are 
gathered up to a stake (a very bad practice), be care- 
ful that the foliage is not bruised or injured. In 
banana plantations, see that all the plants are cut to 
the ground when the fruit is taken, and remove all 
dead leaves and superfluous suckers, that there may 
be a free circulation of air among them. Prop up 
such plants as require support. If young trees are 
to be planted out during the approaching season, pro- 
cure a good supply of leaf mould, or fine virgin soil, 
for placing among the roots 3 lay it up in heaps to 
sweeten. 



H0CK1NGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



189 



Farm. — Continue to prepare land, ploughing it 
deeply. Early potatoes may be planted whole, giving 
them plenty of room, or they will be drawn up. Lu- 
cerne may now be sown in clean, well-ploughed, deep 
soil. Vetches or tares, Cape barley, and sorghum 
should be sown for green food for stock. White 
tuscarora maize may be sown during the first week. 
It is hardy, and ripens in 90 days from the time of 
sowing. 



MARCH. 

Kitchen Garden. — Keep the beds clear of weeds 
by frequent and deep hoeing. Plant out cabbages, 
cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, celery, &c, for succes- 
sion, in favorable weather. Always have beds dug in 
dry weather, full depth, and manured, so that every 
shower may be availed of for transplanting. Where 
possible, the plants should be lifted carefully with a 
garden trowel, and planted with a ball of earth at- 
tached. Hows of cabbages, &o, on sloping ground, 
should be made across the hill ; slight ridges drawn 
to the stems to keep them upright would give the 
plants the advantage of every slight shower, and 
openings could be made at proper intervals for the 
escape of superfluous rain water. See that the rows 
of vegetables are not too close ; a free current of air 
should pass among them to bring them to perfection. 
Give asparagus beds a dressing of salt. Sow English 
beans, French beans, beet, carrot, mustard and cress, 
celery, lettuce, endive, leek, onion, peas, parsnip, radish, 
prickly spinach, turnip. Transplant eschallots. Let- 
tuce runs to seed. 

Orchard. — No crops should be grown near young 
fruit trees — never nearer than one foot beyond the 
outer circuit of the foliage. Orange trees are often 
killed by digging near them • the roots upon which 
the lateral or fruit-bearing branches depend extend in 



190 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



all directions near the surface of the ground ; when 
these roots are injured, the branches either die back 
or become diseased. All land intended to be planted 
with vines or fruit trees during the approaching sea- 
son should have been trenched, manured, and cropped, 
if possible, by this month, to put it in the best state 
for planting. If not already trenched, no time should 
be lost, being careful to drain all retentive soils six 
inches deeper than they are trenched. Orange trees 
with the shoots in a state of rest may be transplanted 
in favorable weather. 

Farm. — Autumn commences on the 20th of this 
month, the sun on that day entering the autumnal 
equinox. Sow lucerne, clover, rye-grass, prairie-grass, 
oats, barley, wheat, vetches or tares, and sorghum. 
Plant main crop of potatoes. Watch cotton planta- 
tion, and house the cotton as fast as the bolls expand, 
.to secure the crop against injury from rain, and from 
damage by broken pieces of the over-ripe pericarp. 
Gather maize as it ripens, and cut tobacco as the leaves 
arrive at maturity. 



APRIL. 

Kitchen Garden. — Hoe continually among the crops 
in dry weather; let no weeds appear. Have beds 
dug for transplanting the various vegetables now 
coming on. Thin out all crops that are overcrowded, 
as directed last month. Divide and plant out pot- 
herbs, giving a little water if requisite until they are 
established. Sow English beans, mustard, and cress, 
lettuce, endive, leek, onion, peas, 'radish, <fec, fcc. 
Early celery should be earthed up in dry weather ; 
in this operation draw the leaves upward one by one, 
without straining them, until they are all upright 
and in their regular positions ; be careful that no 
earth gets between the leaves, and, while holding 
them together with one hand, fill the earth round the 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



191 



plant with the other to within six inches of the top. 
Fill up occasionally as the plant grows, and it will be 
ready in about six weeks. 

Orchard, — Where practicable, the transplanting of 
young fruit trees should now be proceeded with, 
and, if done with care, they will soon make a little 
new growth, emit roots, and be established in their 
positions before the final fall of the leaf. A full season 
will often be saved by this, and the risk of loss by a 
dry spring considerably reduced. This applies to nearly 
all fruit trees, but especially to the evergreens, such 
as lemons, oranges, dates, loquats, olives, tamarinds, 
bananas, &c. 

Farm. — Sow vetches, lucerne, wheat, barley, oats, 
and maize. Gather sorghum seed as it ripens, or the 
birds will either consume or scatter it. Cotton will 
require constant attention as directed last month. Cut 
and house tobacco as it arrives at maturity. 



MAY. 

Kitchen Garden. — Transplant onions, and keep the 
seed beds clean. Plant out cabbages, &c, for succes- 
sion ; and sow lettuce, endive, leek, onion, peas, radish, 
mustard, and cress. Dig beds intended for asparagus. 
(See Asparagus). Transplant garlic, eschallots, rhubarb, 
salsafy, scorzonera, &c. 

Orchard. — Transplant fruit trees in the manner 
directed in the article on the apple, which see. Do 
not plant too deep ; put fine mould among the roots, 
aud protect the trees until they start afresh, watering 
overhead lightly every two or three days, to prevent 
too much evaporation, until the roots begin to act. 
Transplant strawberries into leaf mould, or two-year- 
old cow dung i when growing give abundance of water. 
In cold situations, protect tropical fruit trees, cover 
bunches of bananas, and throw a handful of straw into 
the heart of every pine-apple plant, 



192 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Farm, — Sow vetches, barley, oats, wheat, lucerne 
and other grasses. Cut tobacco. Pick cotton. Earth 
up potatoes. 

JUNE. 

Kitchen Garden. — At this season no colonial-grown 
cabbage seed should be sown, as the plants will run to 
seed just as they are ' hearting. English cabbage seed 
will not run the first season, and should therefore be 
exclusively used until September, when the danger 
will be past. Give new asparagus beds the second 
digging. Hoe well among the growing crops. Trans- 
plant horse-radish, eschallots, rhubarb, strawberries, 
seakale, &c. Dig over old rhubarb, seakale, and 
asparagus beds, giving them plenty of good rotten 
manure. Sow brocoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage ; also, 
red cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, endive, peas, English 
beans, radish, salsafy, scorzonera. Water- cresses may 
be planted in trenches as celery, and will grow well in 
the neighborhood of Brisbane during the winter and 
spring months. Dig abundance of well-rotted manure 
into the bottom of the trench, sift a little fine soil over 
it, dibble the cuttings in at a foot apart, filling up the 
holes lightly with rich mould, and give the whole a 
good watering from a fine rose watering-pot. In a 
month or six weeks they can be cut, when the bed 
should have a thin dressing of manure all over, and a 
good watering. Repeat the treatment each cutting, 
watering well in dry weather. 

Orchard. — In early situations prune grape vines, the 
several sorts of China peach trees, and other early 
fruits. Transplant fruit trees, giving a little protection 
in situations exposed to the dry westerly winds ; sup- 
port them with stakes where necessary. Cover bunches 
of bananas and tropical fruit trees where there is any 
risk of injury from frost. In preparing new land for 
planting, see that drainage is amply provided for to the 
depth of three or four feet. 



bookings' garden manual. 



193 



Farm, — Winter commences on the 24th of this 
month. The arrowroot rills ont very rapidly after the 
frost checks the growth of the top. Sweet potatoes, 
ginger, yams, &c, should be dug. Sow oats, lucerne, 
rye-grass, vetches, prairie-grass, &c, &c. Prepare 
land in warm situations for planting and sowing next 
month with potatoes and maize. 



J U LY. 

Kitchen Gcurden. — Asparagus roots may now be 
planted as directed. Sow cauliflower, carrot main 
crop, beans, lettuce, endive, radish, spinach, &c. In 
sowing seeds after rain, see that the land does not 
clog, or it will be very injurious to move it about. 
The soil should never be walked over, or disturbed by 
sowing or digging the crops, until it is sufficiently dry 
to be friable. Plant out onions and eschallots. The 
soil for onions being necessarily rich, the crop is often 
in danger of being smothered by weeds in the seed 
bed. This may be guarded against to a considerable 
extent when sown in drills, by lightly raking over the 
bed a few days after it is sown • this will destroy a 
vast number of weeds, which, being of rapid growth, 
will be up some days before the onions have made a 
start. This should not be done except in very fine 
weather. If rain falls upon recently raked-land, the 
surface runs into one, and the whole cakes over. 
Hoe among the crops continually in fine weather, 
while the weeds are small, or a few days' rain will 
give them such advantage as to permanently injure 
the crops. Foul land harbors slugs, grasshoppers, and 
other garden pests. 

Orchard. — This is a good time to brush over the 
stems of all fruit trees and vines with a strong pre- 
paration of Gishurst Compound, as a cure and pre- 
ventive of disease ; four ounces of the compound 

o 



194 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL 



dissolved in a gallon of boiling water, and applied 
quite warm with a brush to the trunk and main 
branches — the head being well syringed — will be found 
to promote the health of fruit trees and vines, and tend 
greatly to protect them from the attacks of fungus 
and insects. Transplant young trees, especially early 
growing sorts. Prepare land hitherto neglected, that 
all planting may be finished by the end of next month, 
if possible. Plant grape vines. A general inspection 
of every fruit tree and vine should take place this 
month, removing all suckers, shortening back long 
shoots, and cutting out all crowded or cross branches. 
Eradicate docks, and give a dressing of salt to the 
vines and fruit trees, lightly forking in some well- 
decayed manure where necessary — not immediately 
round the trunks of the trees, but where the small 
roots are to be found, in a line with the outside circuit 
of the foliage. 

Farm. — Some of the most successful cultivators 
of lucerne in the Brisbane district consider this month 
the most favorable for sowing that seed. Sow oats, 
vetches, &c. Prepare land for potatoes, maize, to- 
bacco, sugar-cane, carrots, mangel wurzel, chicory, 
and other crops. Potatoes and maize may be planted 
in early positions, sheltered from the south-west. 



AUGUST. 

Kitchen Garden. — Peas sown this month should 
be in beds with a cool aspect, as south or south-east. 
A few French beans may be sown in a sheltered spot, 
open to the north-east. At this season great advan- 
tage would be gained by sowing the land with salt 
before digging, at the rate of about 7 or 8 lbs. to the 
perch ; it would tend to sweeten the land, destroy 
insects, discourage weeds, fungus, and mildew, and 
retain moisture. The latter would prove very im- 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



195 



portant should the weather be dry. Sow beet, brocoli, 
melons, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, endive, 
okra, parsley, pumpkins, radish, rhubarb, round spinach, 
tomato, tobacco, carrots (large sowing), leek, cabbage, 
cauliflower, chervil, turnip, parsnip, &c, &c. Plant 
out horse-radish, rhubarb, herbs, seakale, asparagus, 
Jerusalem artichokes, ginger, &c. Keep the crops 
clear of weeds, and destroy plants infested with aphis. 
Those which are slightly attacked wash with Gishurst 
Compound. 

Orchard. — Every effort should be made to com- 
plete the transplanting of fruit trees, as many casual- 
ties, and much labor in watering and shelter, will be 
caused if the early growing kinds have to be removed 
after this month. Any work left over from last 
month should be completed. Keep the land clean, 
and the surface open to receive the dews and showers. 
Look over the orange trees, and, if troubled with the 
aphis, syringe them well with a solution of Gishurst 
Compound. Young orange trees showing too much 
bloom, it should be carefully removed by sharp-pointed 
scissors, and the tree have a dressing of liquid 
manure to encourage foliage. They often die back 
after excessive blooming. Dress the vines with lime 
and sulphur in the morning when the dew is on them. 

Farm. — Clean the crops put in last month. 
Plant potatoes, white and yellow maize, rice, yams, 
&c. The sweet potato can best be sent to distant 
parts by forwarding the tuber at this season, to be 
planted when it arrives at its destination ; the suckers 
will soon appear, and can be planted out. Sow 
sorghum and tobacco in seed beds. Silk-worms will 
now require constant attention, feeding them frequent- 
ly with young and tender leaves. Hoe up potatoes 
before, the tops are too high, by drawing the earth 
towards them at each side — but not to a sharp ridge, 
or it will throw the rain off instead of allowing it to 
rind its way to the roots. 



196 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



SEPTEMBER. 

Kitchen Garden —All vacant land should be 
trenched, and left to mellow down by exposure to 
sun and air. Take every opportunity to collect 
manure of all sorts, to be thrown into well-puddled 
tanks to rot down for use in autumn and winter; 
weeds and green refuse of every description, with the 
drainage of the stable, &c, should be carefully secured 
in covered tanks. Manure for use in the garden 
during summer should be in the liquid form. Sow all 
newly-dug beds with salt, as directed last month. 
See that the crops are not crowded and are kept 
clean. Sow a few peas on a cool spot. Sow English 
and French beans, parsley, beet, capsicum and chilli, 
cardoons, mustard and cress, lettuce, endive, egg-plant, 
okra, Cape gooseberry, radish, rhubarb, round spinach, 
tomato, tobacco, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, vege- 
table marrows, carrots, parsnips, &c. Transplant 
cabbage, esch allots, cauliflowers, &c. for succession. 
Water asparagus beds in dry weather. Plant out 
Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, herbs, seakale, aspara- 
gus, ginger, earth-nuts, &c. Sow rosella seed in 
sheltered early positions. 

Orchard. — Recently-transplanted trees will require 
careful attention, being mulched and protected until 
they are established, giving water in dry weather. 
Orange trees may be transplanted in calm cloudy 
weather, but only those which are in a state of rest ; 
they should on no account be disturbed if budding 
out with young shoots ; and ample protection, mulch- 
ing, and a little sprinkling of water overhead, with a 
fine rose watering-pot or a syringe every afternoon in 
dry weather will greatly assist them. Mulch fruit 
trees which appear to suffer from dry weather, to the 
circuit of their foliage. Grape vines should be gone 
over every week to remove all suckers and other 
shoots nearer than one foot to the ground. All super- 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



197 



fluous shoots should be rubbed off, and, in early situa- 
tions, the new wood should be secured as a protection 
against injury from high winds. Plant out straw- 
berries. 

Farm. — Clean and earth up growing crops. Plant 
out yams, earth-nuts, coffee, sugar-cane, arrowroot, 
sweet potatoes, white maize, potatoes. Sow sorghum, 
prairie-grass, cotton, <kc. 



OCTOBER. 

Kitchen Garden. — Keep the crops clean, and mulch 
and water where necessary. Sow parsley, English 
beans, French beans, mustard and cress, lettuce, 
endive, okra, radish, round spinach, beet, vege- 
table marrow, melon, carrot, cucumber, tomato, fcc. 
A few cabbages may be put in, taking care to check 
the aphis on its first appearance. Sow rosella seed. 

Orchard. — Thin out the fruit on China peach trees 
and others where the crop is heavy ; prop up the 
branches. Remove suckers from vines, as directed 
last month, tying up the branches as they extend, 
but so as not to crush or bruise the leaves'; remove 
superabundant fruit. Plant out bananas and pine- 
apples. Thin out the water shoots from inside of 
fruit-bearing trees, to let in the sun and air to ripen 
the fruit equally. Dress vines with sulphur on the 
first appearance of oidium. 

Farm. — Keep the ground loose and clean among 
growing crops. Plant sweet potatoes, yams, ginger, 
sugar-cane, arrowroot, earth-nuts, &c. Plant out 
tobacco. Sow sorghum. 



NOVEMBER. 

Kitchen Garden. — As the season advances, the 
advantage of having trenched the garden land will 
become more apparent. Shallow worked land, unma- 



198 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



nured, will scarcely grow anything worth collecting. 
The beds should now be laid out, with the ridges 
across the hill on sloping ground, to catch every light 
shower, openings being made at convenient distances 
to allow of the escape of surplus water in heavy 
rains. The full space must be allowed between the 
crops during summer, or they will be drawn and 
worthless ; ample room and high cultivation are the 
most economical in the long run. Cucumber and melon 
plants should be thinned out where over-crowded, the 
earth loosened among them, and the branches as they 
extend be fastened down with small wooden pegs. 
Keep the ground clean and open by the free use of 
the hoe and digging fork. Sow French beans, melons, 
brocoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard, and cress, cucum- 
bers, lettuce, endive, celery, okra, radish, rosella, pump- 
kin, &c. Transplant for succession in cloudy, calm 
weather. 

Orchard. — The China peach tree should have the 
crop thinned as soon as the fruit can be used for 
cooking, to relieve the trees and improve the size and 
flavor of the remainder. Mulch such trees to a con- 
siderable distance around the stems, if not previously 
done. Clear out all superfluous shoots to throw the 
whole strength of the plant into the crop, not re- 
moving or injuring any of the foliage unnecessarily. 
Prop up such trees as require it. Remove suckers 
from grape vines, stop straggling branches, and rub 
off weak, ill-placed shoots, to throw vigor into the 
leaders for next season's fruiting, as well as the ad- 
vantage of the present crop. Plant out bananas and 
pine-apples, for which operation some of the most 
experienced growers consider this month the most 
suitable time. Trench land intended for planting next 
season, to give it the advantage of the summer's sun to 
sweeten it. 

Farm. — Constant attention should be given to the 
crops to keep them clean, using the horse -hoe and 



HOCKIXGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



199 



cultivator to economise labor. Watch the tobacco 
closely, removing caterpillars, and stopping the plants 
as required to direct the sap into the leaves intended 
for the crop, that they may attain the utmost luxu- 
riance. In making oaten hay, cut the crop when well 
in ear, but before the seed is near mature • the whole 
plant is then in its most nourishing state, and the seed 
will not shed. 



DECEMBER. 

Kitchen Garden. — French beans, cucumbers, vege- 
table marrow, &c, should be gathered immediately they 
are fit for use, whether they are required or not j for, 
if left on, the plants will soon cease to bear. Sow 
cabbage and cauliflower seed ; great difficulty will be 
experienced in getting it to grow at this season, and the 
plants will consequently be more valuable in propor- 
tion. Sow also French beans, mustard, and cress, 
lettuce, endive, okra, radish, &c. All vacant ground 
should be well manured and dug two spits deep ; none 
should be allowed to remain idle, or occupied with 
stumps, weeds, and rubbish, to harbor insects, vermin, 
and disease. Manure and dig as the crops come off, 
and the land will be ready for use after the first shower. 

Orchard. — Attend to last month's instructions. 
Place straw under the trees, upon which the fruit may 
fall without bruising. Tie up the shoots of the vine 
as they extend, not injuring the leaves. The China 
peaches, as soon as the crop is off, may have their new 
wood shortened back a third of its length, cutting to an 
outside bud. The centre of such trees should also be 
looked to, that they be preserved of the shape of a 
cup. This pruning greatly improves the next season's 
fruit. Trench land intended to be planted next sea- 
son ; one crop taken from it, clean, will greatly improve 
the texture of the soil, and prepare it for receiving the 
young fruit trees. 



200 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



Farm. — Too much care can scarcely be bestowed 
upon potatoes dug up this month, to protect them from 
the sun. They should be dug up as soon as the skin 
is firm, as they are liable to rot in the ground from the 
great heat. Keep the crops clean, and thin them out 
where too much crowded. Attend to the tobacco as 
directed last month. 



N E W ISSUE, 



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Subscription— Six Shillings and Sixpence per Quarter. 

It is the Best Medium for Advertising. 

Circulation upwards of 19,000 weekly, and steadily 
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Grass Seeds. 



The Mixture of Grass and Clover Seeds supplied for 

LAWNS and CROQUET GROUNDS 

will be found to produce, under favorable circumstances, a 
fine and compact rich green sward. 

The HAY and PASTURE GRASSES 

are Mixtures of the most Hardy and Nutritive Kinds in 
cultivation. 

LUCERNE SEED and PRAIRIE GRASS 

can be supplied by the single pound, or by the ton, at the lowest 
market price. 

COUCH GRASS, 

For Embankments, Head Stations, &c. 

A. J. HOGKiNGS. 



A_. J. HOCKINGS' 

Agricultural Implement Depot, 

QUEEN STREET, BRISBANE. 




COLONIAL Wrought Iron PLOUGHS, 

For 1, 2, 4 horses, from £4 10s. upwards. 

NEWBOULT'S "XL. all" Angle Iron Beam PLOUGHS, 

From £3 10s. upwards. 

NEWBOOLTS Anti-friction Wheel PLOUGHS, £6 10s. 

HOWARDS', BAN SO ME & SIMS', and other best English 
PLOUGHS, £4 10s. upwards. 

AMERICAN EAGLE— COTTON— GARDEN— and other 
American PLOUGHS, From £3 upwards. 




Best COLONIAL Wrought Iron HORSE-HOES or CULTI- 
VATORS, From £3 10s. upwards. 

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£2 10s. upwards. 

Every other Article of Best Quality and Workmanship, 
and at the Lowest Price. 



Fruit Trees. 



The advantage in health and comfort obtained by surrounding 
the suburban or country home with a few really good Fruit 
Trees can scarcely be over-estimated ; and, as a good tree 
requires neither more room nor care than a bad one, attention 
is directed to the very 

CHOICE COLLECTION 

OF 

European & Tropical Fruit Trees 

in the Nursery of the undersigned. 

With the desire to naturalise in this climate the choicest 
fruits of other countries, the best varieties have been intro- 
duced from England, France, America, China, India, the 
adjoining Colonies, and other countries, during the last 
twenty- seven years ; and it can now be truly stated that 
Queensland possesses some of the 

Finest Fruits from every Part of the World. 

CATALOGUES will be forwarded gratis, upon application to 

A. J. HOCKINGS, 

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QUEEN STREET, BRISBANE. 



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